Two Way Door
by hubluhbluhbluhbleh
Summary: Detective Friar has been undercover on an important case. And just when he thinks he has figured something out, it backfires on him. And it forces him and his ex-girlfriend, Maya Hart, into an awkward and dangerous situation. Rating may go up depending on the chapter. This will story will have everything in it. Idea from gglover321 but with added ideas of my own.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey y'all! New story! This was a request from gglover321, and I kind of added my own little ideas to that idea, which we agreed on. So we hope that y'all love it.**_

 _ **This will have a little bit of everything in it. Angst, Romance, Drama, Comedy, Hurt/Comfort, etc. It will be a bit of an emotional roller coaster.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Listen. We can do this easy way or the hard way. I have a plan to get rid of your husband that can't be traced back to any of us. Just give me the word."

"I take my business seriously. If you mess this up, there will be a price to pay. My husband wont be going into work tomorrow because he has a doctor's appointment. This is the perfect opportunity. I want him dead, by tomorrow. Otherwise, I will take my business elsewhere."

"No need for that, Mrs. Fox. Nobody will have a clue that we had anything to do with it. I promise."

"Okay. I'll be gone from eleven a.m. to three p.m. tomorrow so be sure that it's done by then."

The brunette woman opens the passenger side door and steps out of my car. She takes her sunglasses off the top of her head and back over her eyes. Before she walks away she lays her hand on the door and leans over.

"I mean it. This job better be done tomorrow. I know plenty of other people who can cause you and the people you love, a lot of harm. Don't think I won't send them after you if I don't get what I want," She says. I watch her walk off in my rear view window, and I wait for her to walk around the corner, out of my sight, before I pull out my cellphone.

"This is Detective Friar. She wants the job done by tomorrow. I think we should meet up and discuss our future plans."

I put the keys into the ignition of my car and drive away from location. I have to meet my partner at the NYPD to come up with a plan on how to put that woman in prison. But before I arrive at the station, I have to switch out of this car into a different one. That woman that I am "working for" has people in every corner. I can't get caught by making a rookie mistake.

I decided to become a cop after a close friend of mine was attacked and mugged on the subway. She never really had the chance to fight back, and I wanted to do something to prevent that from happening to her and others again. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

* * *

As I walk into the police station, I am immediately joined by my partner, Isaiah Babineaux. I know it's a bit cliche that my childhood best friend and I would end up being detectives and partners at the NYPD. I guess the boss man decided that since Zay and I trusted each other already, that it would be best to put us together.

"Did you get those pictures?" I ask.

"We sure did. Walden has those for us. Marianne Fox isn't going to get away with her plans," Zay replies. We walk to my office to discuss our next move. I close the door for a little bit of privacy. That privacy didn't last long, however, before someone knocks on my door.

"Detective Friar, I have those files you asked for," Jet Walden, my protege, hands me the manila envelope. I ope the file and see the pictures of myself and the suspect, Marianne Fox, in my car. I nod my head at Jet, and he walks out of my office, closing the door behind him.

"These are just what we need. I have her confession on tape, and these photos will be enough evidence that Mrs. Fox is plotting to have her husband murdered tomorrow. Do you have any ideas on how we're going to set this up?" I ask Zay.

"Mrs. Fox is a woman who likes things to be precise and perfect. I figured, if we give her a sloppy outcome, then she'll be knocked off guard. We have to fake her husband's death, but not let her into the 'crime scene'. However, when she comes home from running her errands, there will be tons of police there. We have to coax her into the vehicle and question her here. But it wont be easy. A woman like her will try to play the victim card and say she had nothing to do with it. We will see if Mrs. Fox could be playing Dorothy in this year's production of The Wizard of Oz," Zay explains.

I laugh and think about his hypothesis. I've spent enough time with Marianne Fox to know that she is a great actress. I just can't help but wonder if her husband has any idea that his wife wants him dead tomorrow. It's a shame that Marianne has to make it come to murder instead of divorce.

"I agree. We will set up the fake crime scene tomorrow. We have to inform her husband before everything goes down. I will be in the back of Walden's car talking to the husband and observing what's happening. You will be at their house before she comes home. You have to pretend that her husband in her house, dead. And I want you to be the one to escort her back here. You're going to question her, right?" I ask.

"Yea. Do you think I should try to comfort her on the way here?" Zay asks.

"No. Marianne Fox is not a stupid woman. She already doesn't trust me, so I don't want her to blow my cover. I also don't want her getting angry at you and sending her men after you," I explain.

"So. We finally have a plan?"

"Yep. We sure do."

* * *

"Have a goodnight, Lucas," Zay says and waves good bye.

"You too, Zay. I'll see you tomorrow for the take down," I reply. We depart in the parking lot and get in our cars to leave. As I am about to turn my car on, my cell phone rings. I pull it out of my coat pocket and recognize the name. I can only imagine what she wants.

"Hello?"

"Lucas? Can you hear me?" The distraught female asks.

I sigh at her voice. Maya Hart. The woman that I have been in love with for as long as I can remember. She was at another bar, probably shit-faced, again. We were having problems before we decided to end things between us, and those problems haven't gotten any better. And it's even more awkward considering that we are still living together. Most couples tend to move out and away from each other, but since Maya and I have no other place to go, we decided to stay together in the same apartment and split the rent. But we hardly ever talk. We hardly ever interact.

"Yes. Where are you at tonight?" I ask.

"I don't know. I came here with Riley and Farkle," She replies.

I sigh, "Hold on," I tell her before I turn the screen to my phone on, and I turn on the GPS to track her cell phone location. I see the small icon telling me her location and hold the phone back up to my ear.

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes. Are you able to find a bathroom?" I ask.

"Yes. Lucas? Please hurry. I'm scared."

I hang up the phone and follow my GPS to a bar just a few blocks down from our apartment. It takes me ten minutes to get the bar, and I now have to find the girl in the crowded place. I park my car and walk by the people waiting in the line to get into the bar. The bouncer stops me at the door before I can walk in.

One of the perks of being a cop is that I have a badge. Even when I'm off duty, I can still use it at times like this, and I am allowed inside.

When I walk inside I see how rowdy the place is. I even have to break up a fight on my way to the women's restroom. I finally make my way into the restroom and find Maya sitting on the floor with her head buried in her hands. My heart races when I see how torn up she is. After everything we have put each other through, I still find myself getting nervous when I talk to her. I get nervous when I even look at her. I walk over to her and tap her shoulder. She looks up with a red face. She's obviously been crying.

"Come on. Let's go," I tell her. She grabs a hold of my hand, and I help her stand up. She holds onto my arm as we walk out of the bar and back to my car.

I open the door for her, and I help her inside. She is quiet. She doesn't look at me when I get in the car. She doesn't smell like alcohol, so I know that she's not drunk. But there have been times where I have picked her up in an intoxicated state.

I don't say anything to her. I just let her sit there. I can hear a few sniffles come from her, but I still don't say anything.

* * *

We walk into our apartment together. I throw my keys on the counter and my jacket in the chair in the living room. Maya stands behind me, and I can feel her eyes staring at me.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up. I don't know why I let myself get into those stupid situations," Maya says.

"What happened that got you so scared?" I ask.

"Well, I went to that bar with Riley and Farkle, hoping that it would cheer me up a little bit. But the people in that bar are really rowdy, and I got separated from Riley and Farkle. I tried to call them, but they told me that they had already left. I told them that I left too because I didn't want them to worry about me. I don't know. I got really scared in there, so I freaked out, and I called you," Maya explains.

I look at her body language, and I really believe that she's telling the truth, mostly. There is something that she's not telling me, but I can't decipher that right now.

"I can say that it was nice to pick you up in your sober state."

She nods, "I wanted to drink tonight. I really wanted to drink tonight, but I didn't because I've been making promises that I would stop."

"That's good to hear. I hope you keep your promises."

She's about to walk down the hall to her room, but she stops and looks at me, "I hope you're happy, Lucas. Even if you're not happy with me. I hope you're happy, and I'm sorry that I've been so much trouble."

At this point, I'm speechless. I never expected Maya to say that, especially since we just ended our relationship. I can't think of anything to say, but it's not like I have to. She's already halfway down the hall.

"Goodnight, Maya."

* * *

 _ **Okay! That's the end of the first chapter! I really hope y'all liked it. There are so many things to look forward to in this story, and I can't wait to write it for y'all for read!  
**_

 _ **I'll try to update this as soon as possible. I know I'm horrible when it comes to updating consistently, but I will update as soon as I can. The next chapter will end on an interesting note. It will act as a catalyst to the rest of the story, so I hope y'all like that.**_

 _ **I would also like to thank gglover321, again, for this amazing prompt.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys! I want to thank y'all for reading this new story. I've never really written anything like this, so I hope that I write it well.**_

 _ **A lot of action-y stuff will happen in this chapter. That's all I can say.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

The time is now 3:05 p.m. I am sitting in Walden's patrol car, waiting for the suspect to arrive at her house, which has now been turned into a crime scene. I am parked across the street, out of sight of the suspect who wants her husband to be dead at this time.

She pulls up and sees all of the police cars. She turns her car off and has a panicked look on her face as she steps out of the vehicle. She tries to go inside the house to see what is happening but two officers hold her back from entering, just like they were instructed to do.

"Are you Mrs. Fox?" Zay walks over to the woman.

"Y-yes. I am. What's happening?" She asks continuing her panicked act.

"My name is detective Isaiah Babineaux with the homicide unit of the NYPD. I'm sorry, ma'am, but your husband has been murdered," Zay says, "Someone broke into your house. A neighbor called when they walked by and heard what was going on. When we arrived, we found your husband with multiple stab wounds to the chest. I'm very sorry, Mrs. Fox."

Then Marianne Fox does exactly what I predicted she would do. She cries out in agony, screaming "My husband! You have to let me see him! Please!" while trying to break free from the officers' grips. Zay lays a supportive hand on her shoulder and tries to calm her down.

"Ma'am, you need to come to the station with me. Because you're the victim's wife, it is imperative that we take a statement from you. It's important that you come with me in order to find your husband's murderer and bring justice for him," Zay says.

I smile, proud of my partner's acting skills. I watch the scene continue to unfold before me. Marianne continues to yell and try to break free from the officers. Zay finally tells the two to put her in the back of their car and take her down to the station. Once the car disappears, I step out of Walden's vehicle and walk over to every officer involved.

"Nice job, guys! You all have jobs in Hollywood, now," I say getting a chuckle out of a few officers,"Let's go to the station and see if we can get a confession."

Zay and I climb into his car and drive down to the station.

"That worked perfectly," Zay says, "You are a genius."

"I'm not the one that came up with the plan. That was all you, Zay. You're the genius. I can't believe that worked!" I reply. I wasn't going to take the credit for that plan when Zay was the one who came up with it. It was a well thought out, organized, perfect plan for a woman like this.

* * *

I can tell that Marianne Fox is a bit apprehensive. I'm standing outside of the interrogation room, ready to be handcuffed and walked in to see her. Zay is in there now, talking to the woman who still seems so distraught and heartbroken. We all know better than to fall for her act, though.

"Mrs. Fox, do you know anybody who would want your husband dead?" Zay asks sitting on the table close to the woman.

"No," She replies with her lips, but the stare on her face, the shuffling of her thumbs under the table, and the bouncing of her legs say that she's guilty. She licks her lips, which tells us that she's trying to ease the tension in the interrogation room.

"Really?" Zay questions, "Because a neighbor says that they saw a man driving by your house everyday for last two weeks. You haven't seen him have you?"

"No."

"We have a confirmed ID and photograph of him leaving your house. This man is in our custody," Zay says.

That was the cue for me to have handcuffs put around my wrists. The officers grabs my arms and walk me back to the interrogation room.

"This man, right here, has been seen around your house for last two weeks. Do you know this man?" Zay says as I am pushed into the room by the officers.

"I've never met him before in my life."

"Hmm," Zay says, "It's weird that you say that Marianne. Because we have pictures right here of you in the suspect's car! What do you have to say about that? Huh? That man who killed your husband happened to be talking to you in his car just yesterday!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I demand to talk to my lawyer!" She yells.

"Why would you need a lawyer if you don't know what's going on? Or do you? I think you hired this man to kill your husband for you!" Zay continues.

"I don't know this man!" Marianne yells back.

"You certainly don't. Because this is an undercover cop! We were tipped off that you were looking to hire someone to kill your husband. So that whole thing you came home to this afternoon was staged. Your husband is still alive, and you're busted. Arrest her," Zay says.

"What! I can't- I can't believe this! I demand to speak to my lawyer right now!" Marianne continues to yell. She looks at me as I'm being uncuffed.

"You are going to regret this! I promise you that!" Marianne yells in my face.

I smirk at her and say, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

The officer drags her out of the interrogation room. I pat Zay on the shoulder, "You're the man. Without you, that man would probably be dead."

"Thanks, Lucas. I think it's time for us to go home, don't you think?" Zay asks.

"I think it's time for us to go home too. I have to check up on Maya and see if she's okay," I explain. Zay looks down and laughs before looking at me with a smirk on his face.

"What?" I ask.

"So you two are talking now? I'm surprised your even still living together. You know most couples move out and away from each other when they break up?" Zay says.

"Well. We don't really have any other place to go, and we decided to stay there and split the rent equally. But we really don't talk to each other. The only time she talks to me is when she needs to be picked up from a bar after drinking too much. I thought she was going to do that last night, but she was actually sober when I picked her up," I explain.

"She's still heartbroken, dude. And she's still living with the guy who broke her heart. That obviously won't be easy for someone to deal with. She just doesn't deal with it in the best way," Zay says.

I sigh, "I guess you're right. Anyway, I better go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye, Lucas."

I begin to walk out of the police station before Zay stops me, "Hey, Lucas? Watch your back. And be careful, okay? Marianne has her people everywhere, and I don't need your ass getting hurt because of that woman."

"Okay, man. Thanks," I say before leaving.

* * *

I walk into my shared apartment. Maya is nowhere to be found, so I guess she's out at another bar. I decide to take a quick shower to wind down. So I grab a towel and some sweatpants and start the hot water. The hot water really helps my tense shoulders and back. I guess because I was so on edge today about Marianne Fox, that it caused me to tense up more and more as the day went on. Before I start to wash my hair, I hear a bump on the wall. It sounds like someone fell down.

I turn the shower off and hear the sound of whimpering. I put my sweatpants on and quietly open the bathroom door. I inspect the hallway before I slowly walk out and over to a table in the hallway. I open the drawer and find my gun, ready to use it if I need to.

I walk into the living room and see no one. I survey the entire apartment before I get the last room at the very end of the hallway. The door is slightly ajar, so I quietly push the door open, and I see the source of the whimpering.

"Maya," I whisper and run over to her. She is tied up and her mouth has cloth in it to keep her quiet. She has a gash on the side of her head and a few bruises on her cheek.

"Maya, who did this?" I ask her. I begin to untie the ropes behind her back, but these knots are difficult to untie. I gently untie the cloth and take it out of her mouth.

"I don't know," She says, trying to catch her breath, "They said they were looking for you."

"There's more than one?" I ask. Maya nods. I wipe a few tears off of her face and keep trying to untie the knots.

I hear the closet door open. I quickly grab my gun and point it at the man who jumped out. I stand in front of Maya as she struggles to get her hands free.

"Who sent you?" I ask.

I look down behind me at Maya and tell her to scoot over behind the dresser that is in that room. It will act as shield for her just in case. She starts to slowly scoot herself over behind the dresser and continues to try to untie those knots.

"I'm not allowed to tell you that information. I am here for one reason and one reason only. To kill you. And because that beautiful woman didn't want to give up your location, I had to teach her a little lesson. Are you ready to die?" The man asks pointing his gun at me.

"Do you really want to do this?" I ask, "I know who you work for, and she can't pay you anymore. You guys are some of the most wanted criminals in New York. Now, if you put the gun down, I can talk to some very important people to have these crimes you just committed pardoned. So what will it be? Loyalty? Freedom? Or death?"

I pull my trigger as soon as he fires his gun at me. I feel a sharp, piercing pain in my abdomen and then another one. I fall to the floor, and I look over beside me to see the man who shot me laying there, dead.

"Lucas!" Maya yells. She's still tied up, so she scoots over to me. "Lucas, are you okay? Please talk to me!"

I look up at her, but I can't say anything. I'm holding my abdomen in two different places, and I can feel the blood quickly rushing out of the wounds, making me grow weaker and weaker. Maya finally frees one of her hands from the ropes. She frees herself and comes over to help me.

I finally manage to tell Maya something before she puts herself in even more danger, "Stay hidden. I don't want the other guys to come in here and shoot you."

She starts to tie pieces of cloth from her shirt around my wounds to keep pressure on them to at least slow the bleeding down.

"Go," I tell her before I force myself to stand up. I can barely walk, but I grab my gun and start to look all over the apartment again.

I run into the other three guys in the living room. They were standing there with their weapons ready to fire at me. I know for sure that this is where I'm going to die.

"With love, from Marianne," The one in the front says. I feel two more sharp, piercing pains. One in my chest and one in my shoulder. And I hear more gun shots. The three men fall to the floor. I look around, my vision blurred. I see Maya holding another gun. She sets the gun down and rushes over to me again.

"Lucas! Oh my gosh! Please, stay awake!" She says as she pats my face, keeping me awake. She grabs her phone out of the floor and calls 911.

And that's the last thing I remember before entering darkness.

* * *

 _ **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know it seems like the situation escalated very quickly, but this is just the beginning of it.**_

 _ **Be on the look out for the next chapter!**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey guys! I am so happy with how many of you are liking this story so far. I am beyond excited to continue writing this.**_

 _ **I hope y'all like this chapter!**_

* * *

Maya is standing on the other side of the room. Her face must be red and blotchy from crying. She looks at the covered body being lifted onto the stretcher. My covered body. I can feel a pang of guilt flow in my chest, and it feels painful. Not even these gunshot wounds feel that painful. I have four gunshot wounds in my torso, but the only pain I can feel right now is how devastated Maya is. I can only imagine what she's going through right now.

Zay walks over to her and pulls her into a hug, "I know this may not be the best time, but I need you to come down to the station and make a statement."

I can't hear her say anything else, so I guess she nods her head. I hear footsteps walk by my still body. Zay comes back into the room a short moment later and walks over to the stretcher. He uncovers my head and looks at my wounds.

"Shouldn't you be getting stitched up right now?" He asks.

I would laugh, but it hurts, "How's Maya?" I ask.

"Not good. She just witnessed the man she used to love get 'killed' in their own home. Not to mention she killed three men in order to protect you. She's a mess, just like this situation, but we'll get this sorted out at the station. Now, go to the hospital and have those bullets removed. I'll bring her over tomorrow to discuss our next plan. See you later, Lucas," Zay explains.

I nod as Zay covers my head back up. He pats my shoulder and leaves. I am loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. It's kind of hard to believe that after tonight, Detective Lucas Friar will be dead. I am a dead man.

But all I can think about right now is how Maya's life is going to change. She was a witness to this. She killed two of Marianne's men. They will go after her too. It will be hard for her to understand that after tonight, Maya Hart will be dead.

It's kind of hard to believe that the both of us are dead.

* * *

 _Maya and I walked into the bright sky blue colored apartment. Maya was so excited that she couldn't loosen her grip on my hand as we walked in. The real estate agent walked in after us and let us look around for a bit._

 _"Okay, if you come with me I can show you the master bedroom, the guest bedrooms, the master bath, and the kitchen. I guarantee that this place will be perfect for the two of you," The real estate agent said._

 _We followed her to the kitchen first. Maya started talking about how fun it would be to cook on a stove where all the eyes worked. She continued to fangirl over the kitchen with the real estate agent, but I was busy thinking about something else._

 _I could imagine Maya making herself breakfast on the stove, and I would walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck, blushing when she would crinkle her nose and eyes and smile at me. I could imagine a small dining room table beside the kitchen area and having a high chair sat in between us at dinner time. I could picture her feeding our baby and giggling when the baby would get food all over his or her face._

 _"Lets go to the first guest bedroom, shall we?" The real estate agent asked. The both of us nodded. Maya grabbed my arm as we started following the agent to smaller bedroom on the left._

 _Maya looked in the closet to see how big it was, and I knew she was picturing how she was going to decorate it already. This apartment was the best selection by far. I knew we were going to get it that day._

 _We checked out the laundry room and the other guest bedroom before the real estate agent brings us to the very last bedroom at the end of the hallway. She opens the door, and the room was definitely the biggest room in the house. Maya walks around and looks at the huge closet, which was a major plus for her._

 _I imagined how many special nights we were going to have in that room. Birthdays, anniversaries, Tuesdays. I smiled at Maya because of how happy she was to see this apartment._

 _"I think we're going to rent this apartment out. Is it alright if we see the lease?" I asked. Maya looked at me in shock. She wasn't expecting me to say something that spontaneous, but I couldn't help it. After I saw how much she loved it, I couldn't think of any other place to live in with my girlfriend._

 _The real estate agent smiled, "Of course. Let me make a few phone calls and get the paper work. You two are welcome to stay here and continue to look around."_

 _The woman left the apartment as Maya jumped into my arms and kissed my lips, "I can't believe you did this. I wasn't expecting you to decide right now."_

 _"I know, but I saw how happy you were looking around here, and I want you to have the best. So what do you say, Maya Hart? Wanna move into this apartment with me?" I asked._

 _Maya laughed, "Of course!"  
_

 _She planted another kiss to my lips. I felt like I was in a different world when I was with her. Everything seemed so much easier back then._

 _"Lucas..."_

 _"Lucas..."_

 _..._

"Lucas. Wake up, sunshine," I hear the voice of my best friend and partner.

My vision is blurry, but when I open my eyes, I see a bright light. If I wasn't in pain right now, I would think that I actually died. But I see the bright lights of the hospital recovery room that I am in. Zay is standing beside my bed. The doctor, whom I'm guessing is the operator, my boss, and a few agents that I've never recognized are standing in my room.

"Hey, Lucas. Nice to see that you've had a successful surgery," My boss, Mr. Walden, Jet Walden's father, says. Mr. Walden has been the head of the entire NYPD for twenty years. I can remember how nervous I was when he told me that he wanted me to help his son, Jet, get acquainted with the business three years ago. But it shows me that Mr. Walden has respect for mine and Zay's work, and he trusts Zay and I to help his son be a great cop.

"Lucas. I'm going to fill you in on your physical condition. I know that you have more important business to discuss with your boss and these agents, so I'll make this quick. We extracted three bullets from your torso. One from your abdomen, one from your sternum, and one from the right side of your chest. We had to quickly stitch up the fourth wound because the fourth bullet did go right through you. You will be in some pain for a few days. I think it would be best that you rest here, in our most private room. No one is allowed to visit except any federal agent of the law and myself. You're a lucky guy. But we do have pain medication to prescribe you, which should help with the pain from the wounds," The doctor tells me. I nod, and he walks out of the room.

"Detective Friar, these are agents Dobbs and Hannigan. They work for the Witness Protection and Relocation Programs. I'm sure you are aware that you are supposed to be dead, right?" Mr. Walden asks, which I nod in response.

"Detective Friar, I am Agent Dobbs with the Witness Protection Program. Agent Hannigan and I are in charge of making sure that you can't be tracked down after we relocate you. I make the death certificate, and Agent Hannigan called your family. Everybody now believes that Lucas Friar is dead. We are also in charge of giving you your new assignment, new name, address...basically your new life," He explains. He turns to Zay and asks him to go get Maya.

My heart beats faster, which can be noticeable on the heart monitor. The agents, Mr. Walden, and I sit there in silence as we wait for Maya to walk in with Zay. And when she does, the look on her face makes my heart beat even faster.

"Lucas?" She asks. She rushes over to my bedside and tries to comprehend what's going on, "H-how? I-I saw you... I thought you were dead."

"Ms. Hart. I know this is very confusing, but we will explain it to the both of you right now," Agent Dobbs says.

"Ms. Hart. This is going to be difficult to deal with and maybe even difficult to understand, but I want you to remain calm when I tell you what's going to happen," Agent Hannigan says. Maya nods as Agent Hannigan continues, "Those men who attacked you and detective Friar in your apartment work for a very powerful and dangerous woman. She was arrested and taken into federal custody yesterday, but that doesn't mean that her crime ring stops. You and Lucas were the main targets yesterday, so we have no other choice but to do this. You and Lucas are going to be relocated to California through the Witness Relocation Program."

"Okay, but why?" Maya asks.

"That's where things get difficult. Because Lucas was the one who got that woman arrested, that made him a major target for her men. And because it was you who killed three of her most skilled assassins, that made you a major target for her men as well. So we had to kill the both of you," Hannigan explains.

"What do you mean by kill?" Maya asks.

"Well, Lucas was never really dead. The attack was real, but we want that woman's men to think you two were killed," Hannigan explains some more.

"So, because I tried to defend Lucas and myself by shooting three men who broke into our apartment and tried to kill us, we have to pretend that we're dead here and be relocated somewhere else with new names and a whole new life completely? No goodbyes to our families or anything?" Maya asks another question.

"It's tough to hear, but it's true. We've already contacted your families," Dobbs replies.

"Un-fucking-believable! That is so stupid!" Maya yells.

"Ma'am, we're sorry that you feel that way, but it's for your safety and the safety of your loved ones. Assassins like these don't just go after you to hurt you, they want to go after your family. So that's why we had to kill Maya Hart and Lucas Friar," Hannigan says.

"Have you ever had any special training in the police academy, Ms. Hart?" Dobbs asks.

"No. I've learned everything I know from Lucas and Zay. Lucas wanted to make sure that I knew how to protect myself in case something like what happened last night happened," Maya replies.

"When we relocate you, we would like to ask you to join the FBI. As well as you Lucas. The FBI could use agents with your skills," Dobbs says.

"Are you kidding? I don't know all the laws. It will take me years to memorize them! I can't be an FBI agent. I'll mess everything up," Maya says.

"No you won't. You will have Lucas there with you, and we've decided to add Detective Babineaux to go with you. But he won't join you for a few weeks, maybe even a month. They will teach you all of the laws that you need to know. There is case in Los Angeles that we would like the three of you to be apart of. We will fill you and all of the LA FBI agents of your arrivals. When Lucas is ready to be released from the hospital is the same day you both will be transported to LA. If you have any questions, please call one of us," Dobbs says handing Maya and I a card with his number and Agent Hannigan's number on it.

"We will drop by again tomorrow to inform you of the details of your new identities," Hannigan informs us. The two agents leave the room with Mr. Walden and Zay.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault you're in this mess," I apologize to Maya.

"No, it's not. It's just as much my fault as it is yours. You don't need to apologize to me. It's just going to be a hard adjustment, especially since I can't say goodbye to family," Maya explains. I nod and stare at her. She looks down at her feet, and I grab her hand.

"I'm also sorry for making you think I was dead."

Maya wipes a few stray tears from her face, "It's okay."

She says that, but I know that she doesn't mean it. She's not okay. I'm not okay. Nothing is okay right now.

* * *

 _ **Okay! That's all for this chapter. I don't know if you would count this as a short chapter, but it did explain a lot of things. The next chapter will go into Lucas and Maya's identities and the chapters after will get into the comedy parts of the story with a very long road trip.**_

 _ **Hope y'all liked it.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey guys! I am so happy that many of y'all are reading this story. I hope I am making you proud with it. I'm sorry I am not a consistent updater. I have a lot going on right now, but I still want to write, and I try to update as soon as I can.**_

 _ **I posted chapter 4 of Now That You're Grown, so I hope y'all like that.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Maya and I are brought to the office of Mr. Walden at the New York Police Department. In his office stand Zay and the two agents from the Witness Protection Program. We take a seat in front of the group of people and wait for them to speak to us.

"Lucas? Maya? Are you ready to get your new identities?" Agent Dobbs asks.

"I guess," Maya shrugs. She obviously isn't happy that she has to say goodbye to Maya Hart. I can't blame her. I'm not that thrilled about becoming somebody new either. Or moving to the other side of the country. Or dealing with another crime ring over there with people that I don't know anything about.

"Okay," Agent Dobbs says before turning around to a presentation. The first slide shows mine and Maya's faces with our new names under them.

"You two will now be known as Lucas Walker and Maya Walker. I-"

"Wait. Why do we have the same last name? Do we have to be brother and sister now?" Maya asks.

"No. You're married. I was going to mention that on the next slide. You two are a married couple from North Carolina. You both decided to move to Los Angeles because you both were promoted and relocated there. We've spoken to North Carolina government officials to get documentation. We had your birth certificates made from there. We had shot records, school records, everything made there. We also had your marriage license drawn up there as well. Maya, your maiden name was Montgomery just in case anybody asks. And you've been together for five years and married for one year. Any questions so far?" Agent Dobbs asks.

"Why will Maya and I have the same name as we did while being in New York?" I ask.

"Because with couples, we find that they tend to slip up and call their significant other by their first name, thus blowing their cover. So we let you keep your first names. And because this is on such short notice, we decided that letting you keep your first names could help with the transition process," Agent Hannigan explains before switching to the next slide.

"We're not a couple. We weren't a couple when this happened," I hear Maya mumble under her breath.

That hurt. It physically hurts, and it emotionally hurts. Maya doesn't see me like she used to anymore. She doesn't want to think about being in a relationship with me anymore. Who can blame her? She is forced into a relationship with the man who broke her heart five months ago. It's such a messy situation.

"This will be your new home. This is the first address that you will have to locate to. It's in a nice community. The house is paid for, and you will get a day or two to go shopping for appliances and other essentials. We've gotten you both a car with credible tags in your new names. You both have new drivers licenses with your new names also. Everything that is supposed to have your name on it will be new. This includes a new social security number. We have files on your new identities that we've made copies of that you'll both need to study. The best way that you'll get to know the new you is if you drive to Los Angeles. We have the addresses to all the hotels that you'll stay in on your road trip and those rooms are paid for," Agent Hannigan explains, handing us a large binder with all of our new information inside of it.

I've already gotten my file. I looked through it while I was in the hospital. I was in the hospital for almost two weeks, and I could barely sleep the whole time. I just waited until Maya went to sleep to look at the binder. I know almost everything about my new life already. The two agents just thought it would be better to inform Maya of her new life while they let me know about mine.

"It would also be a good idea to study each others new identity too. You don't want to make friends with other married couples and not be able to talk about each other," Agent Dobbs adds.

Maya and I nod before Agent Dobbs and Agent Hannigan continue.

"Detective Babineaux will be joining you in Los Angeles in a few weeks. But we also decided that it would be best if Mr. Walden's son, Jet Walden, joins you as well," Agent Dobbs says.

"Lucas," Mr. Walden begins, "I decided that it would be best for Jet to join you in Los Angeles. He is informed of the situation and is sworn to secrecy to not let word get around that your real identity is Lucas Friar. So he is there to make sure Lucas Friar and Maya Hart stay dead, and he still needs to learn the ropes of the law enforcement business. There's nobody else I trust more to watch over him and teach him than you and Isaiah. The NYPD will miss the both of you. It's been a pleasure to be you boss."

"Thank you, sir," I respond.

Agent Hannigan and Agent Dobbs stand up before saying, "It's time to depart. Your transportation is out front. We would like to be informed of your progress and location along the way. Good luck Mr. and Mrs. Walker."

Maya and I follow the two agents to the back of the building where our new car is located. Our luggage is in the very back of the vehicle and our drivers licenses are placed in the driver and passenger seats. The agents walk back into the building, leaving Maya, Zay, and me alone.

"I'll see you two in a few weeks. I have to study your new identities and teach Jet all the information. Have fun, you two," Zay says giving Maya a hug and then me.

"See you later."

* * *

I've been driving for forty-five minutes. Forty-five minutes of silence. Maya isn't talking to me about anything, but she is looking at her new identity. She hasn't looked up from that black binder with everything in it.

"You need anything? Food? A bathroom?" I ask. I don't know what to say. I figured if I brought up one of those things, then she would say yes to one of them.

She looks up at me from the black binder, "I do need to use the bathroom now that I think about it," She stops, and her belly grumbles. She laughs and says, "I guess I could go for some food too."

I laugh too and move into a different lane on the interstate. I get off the nearest exit and pull into a restaurant. Before we get out of the car, we put on sunglasses and hats that say 'I 3 NY' on them. We didn't want anybody to recognize us if it has been reported on the news or in newspapers that Maya and I are dead only to be discovered walking into a McDonalds or something.

Maya goes to use the bathroom as I order us something to quickly eat. All we've had for a few days is hospital food, which isn't the best food to eat. McDonalds isn't the best food to eat either, but it's better than hospital soup and microwavable vending machine dinners.

I grab our food and meet Maya out in the car. We eat in the parking lot in silence before we hit the road again, in silence. I'm really hoping that this awkward spell will be over soon. If we're going to be a married couple, then we need to get over this awkward thing. But I'm not going to push her to talk to me. I'll wait until she's comfortable enough to talk to me.

After an hour of riding in the car with me, Maya decides to turn the radio on. It's better than the silence. She sings along to a few of the songs without even realizing it. She usually didn't like to sing in front of me. She always had this preconceived notion that I hated the way she sings. When in reality, I couldn't think of anything else more beautiful to listen to. Her voice flows perfectly with any pitch of any song she listens to.

"Do you want me to drive to the hotel? You've been driving for about four hours. We can take turns," She offers, turning the music down.

I nod and pull off the side of the interstate. We switch places quickly. After she adjusts her seat, the steering wheel, and all the mirrors, we are on the road again. Internally, I am happy that she asked to drive because she can't drive for a long time without talking. We'll finally be able to do something about this awkward silence.

And it wasn't long. Thirty minutes later, she couldn't take herself just driving and not talking at all. She finally speaks some words to me.

"Did you plan to have yourself killed? And get me killed in the process?" She asks.

Not a question I was hoping she would ask, but it's still better than nothing, "No. My only job was to put Marianne Fox in prison. I didn't know her men were going to break into our apartment and try to kill us. I thought they sent us out here to keep us safe from Marianne's men, but they didn't tell you that she has connections all over the country."

"Why didn't you tell the agents?"

"I told Zay, and we did tell Mr. Walden, but he told me that that information was already known. I've thought about this everyday when I was in the hospital. They didn't kill us because they wanted to keep us safe from Marianne's men. They killed us so that we can be relocated to take down more of her connections. Otherwise, we wouldn't be working in law enforcement at all. I'd probably be an accountant, and you would probably be an art teacher or something," I explain, "That's another reason why they want you to learn the law."

"That's fucked!" She fusses. I chuckle and nod in agreement.

"Yea, but if they didn't do that, then we would actually be dead right now. We would still be in New York and not only would our lives be in danger, our families lives would be in danger," I say.

"I hate that I didn't get to say goodbye to them. My mom and my grandma and my step-dad, Shawn. They must be devastated. Is it wrong of me to hope that they are devastated? Not because I want them to be in pain, but to make me feel a sense of acceptance?" Maya asks.

"I'm sure they are devastated. You were their everything. They loved you with all their strength. Just like I did," I respond.

"Did," She mumbles.

The GPS informs Maya to get off at the next exit to arrive at or hotel. She doesn't talk again until we reach the hotel.

* * *

"Of course," Maya says, looking around the room, "Why am I not surprised that they got a one bed hotel room?"

"It's fine," I begin to say as I walk over to the couch, "I'll just sleep here."

This annoys Maya when I do this. She sees me sleeping on the couch as a sacrifice for her when in reality, I'm just trying to respect her boundaries. I don't want her to be uncomfortable on a tiny couch or in the floor, so I let her take the bed. I've always done that until we started dating and sleeping in the same bed whenever we would go somewhere overnight with our friends.

"Lucas. Don't be stupid. You can't even fit on that couch. I'll sleep on the couch," She offers. She tries to make her way over to the couch, but I wrap my arm around her waist to stop her.

"There is no way in hell that I'm going to sleep in that huge bed while you get that tiny couch. I know you're a tiny woman, but that couch doesn't look comfortable," I tell her. She rolls her eyes and turns around as I continue talking, "C'mon. We can be civilized adults when it comes to sleeping in the same bed. And besides we need to practice if we're going to be married in this new city."

She chuckles, "Practice? C'mon, Huckleberry," She says sarcastically.

I take a quick shower before I climb into bed. Maya is having a bath to unwind from the stress of the last two weeks, which I feel like I should've done too. I'm just too sleepy to have a bath tonight. I flip through the channels on the television before settling on one. I'm not really paying attention to what's playing because all I can think about is the sharp pain in my abdomen and my new life with Maya.

The doctor told me that I would get sharp pains in my abdomen and shoulder from my gunshot wounds, which are still healing. I washed them while I was in the shower, but I still have to clean the stitches. I pulled out a bag of rubbing alcohol and peroxide, which is going to hurt like a bitch, but if I do this everyday, then I should heal quicker. I grab some gauze out of the bag and some cotton balls.

"Ouch," I hear Maya say as she walks out of the bathroom. She has her pajamas on, and her hair has been blow-dried and put into a high ponytail thingy.

"Yea," I reply, "It hurts like hell, but it's going to help them heal faster."

I have a hard time reaching my shoulder because it hurts too much. Maya walks over to my side of the bed and takes the cotton ball and rubbing alcohol.

"Let me help you," She says. She soaks the cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and gently places it on my healing wound. I hiss because of the pain. I don't think I've ever felt physical pain like this before. The stinging and burning sensation brings a few tears to my eyes. Maya watches and rubs some cream on it before taping some gauze over it.

"You okay?" She asks. I nod, and I know that when she cleans out the wound on my abdomen, that it's going to kill me. She slowly soaks another cotton ball in rubbing alcohol. She slowly brings her hand to the wound on my ab and gently rubs the cotton ball around the wound. Again, that stinging and burning sensation brings more tears to my eyes. Cleaning these wounds everyday isn't going to be any fun for me until they heal better.

I hate myself for feeling a little aroused at Maya's kind gesture of cleaning my gunshot wounds, but it's hard...I mean difficult for me not to. I used to date her. I used to lover her. Well, I still kind of love her, but she doesn't want anything to do with me. She's forced to spend her life with me. I'm not surprised that she hates me.

I clear my throat when she rubs some cream on that wound. She tapes the gauze over the wound and walk around to her side of the bed.

"Thank you," I tell her.

"You're welcome, Lucas. Goodnight," She says, turning her back to me.

"Goodnight, Maya," I reply. I turn the lamp off and lean backwards, my head resting in my hands that are supporting me. I take a deep breath before finally laying down and going to sleep. Happy that this day was over.

How many more days until we get to LA?

* * *

 _ **Alrighty! I hope y'all liked that chapter. I thought I'd make it interesting in a mediocre kind of way. But things will definitely get more interesting and funny! There will be interesting and funny people, and I know (at least I hope) that you guys will love Jet. He's going to be a hilarious character, but in the worst kind of way that may make me lose my street cred.**_

 _ **Anyway, I just wanted to remind y'all that I updated Now That You're Grown, and I will try to update that again as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hi y'all! Sorry, again, for taking so long to update. I appreciate all of you who are still keeping up with the stories that I write, and those of you who are being patient with me.**_

 _ **Hope y'all like this!**_

* * *

We are currently driving through Indiana, right now. Maya and I woke up at seven o'clock and headed off on this very long journey to Nebraska, which is where we are staying tonight. We've been driving for eight hours, which has taken a toll on the both of us. We've been switching every three hours, but sometimes I drive longer. Maya is looking at the black binder containing all the elements of her new life inside.

"So, this is going to be an even longer day than yesterday," I begin, "Why don't we talk about the new us?"

"What about the new us?" Maya asks.

"Make up a story about Maya Montgomery and Lucas Walker's childhood. It can be the same as our old lives, or it can be new and different," I explain. Maya agrees slowly and closes the black binder. She turns her petite body towards me, thinking of what to say next.

"I've never been to North Carolina. My birth certificate says that I was born in Wilmington and that I went to school there," Maya begins, "Maya Montgomery was born on April 23, 1994 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her favorite activities to do in school were chorus and art. She graduated with honors and went into the police academy because all she wants to do is protect people."

"See? That's a perk. You can make up your own story," I tell her, "Lucas Walker was born on September 27, 1992 in Hickory, North Carolina. He moved to Wilmington at age five with his mother after his parents split up. His favorite activities to do in school were sports and SGA. He graduated with honors and went into the police academy after his cousin's murderer wasn't brought to justice. Now, he wants to make sure that everybody will get justice the right way."

"Nice story, Captain America," Maya teases. I just chuckle, and we continue talking about our new personalities. Maya tells me about how she loves movies and music and is interested in going back to school to become a film major. I can listen to her talk to me all day. I doesn't matter what it's about. I love hearing her voice.

"Ready to make a pit stop?" I ask getting into the lane closest to the exit on the interstate. I steer us off the interstate onto the exit ramp where the sign reads 'rest stop'. I press the accelerator a little bit because this car behind us has been on our bumper for the last hour and a half.

Maya gets out of the car and rushes to the bathroom. I really have to use the bathroom too, but I look at the car that's been following us for the last hour and a half. They were riding too close for too long, and it's making me a little suspicious. Unfortunately, I can't see the people inside due to the dark tinted windows. I don't even know if there are any people in the vehicle. I check the holster hidden in the waist of my jeans. I have to have my gun ready just in case I need to use it. I want to wait for Maya to get out of the bathroom before I go use the bathroom myself.

"Lucas," Maya says, pulling me out of my thoughts, "I'm going to go to the vending machine, do you want anything?"

I shake my head, "No, thanks. I'll be right back," I tell her. I watch her walk to the vending machine and decide that it's okay to go to the restroom.

I walk inside and make my way over to a stall. There's a man sitting in a chair in the bathroom, listening to a talk show on the radio. I quickly do my business and flush the toilet, so that I can check on Maya. The man sitting down at the sink stands up and turns the water on for me.

"Thank you," I tell him. He nods in response and stands behind me, watching me wash my hands. I lean my head further down, so he can't see me inspect the room. I look around in the floor and use my peripheral vision to help me see the walls on either side of me.

I don't see anything suspicious. I turn the water off, and the man who was watching me in the mirror hands me a paper towel to dry my hands.

"Thank you, sir," I tell him.

"Anytime, Lucas," The man replies. I stop in my tracks. How did he know that my name is Lucas? And before I know it, the man has his arms around my neck.

I struggle to get loose from his grip at first, until I bring my elbow down forcefully to hit him in the stomach. This gets his grip loose enough for me to punch his face. I knock his leg out from under him and quickly grab my gun, pointing it at him.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"You'll have to kill me before I tell you."

"Did Marianne send you?"

"I'm not gonna talk!"

"Okay. I guess I have no choice then," I reply. I pull my cell phone out and call Agent Dobbs.

"Yes, this is Lucas. I am at a rest stop in Indiana. You'll be able to track me on this phone. We have a problem. One of Marianne's men was following me. He attacked me in the bathroom, and he is refusing to tell me any information as to who he is, why he's here, and who sent him... Great, thank you," I say, hanging up the phone.

I continue to point my gun at the man before I hear sirens coming closer.

"Lucas! Help!"

I immediately run outside, knowing that it's Maya who yelled for my help. I run over to the vending machines and see a man pointing a gun to her head. When he's sees me, he turns her around and uses her as a hostage. I point my gun at his head.

"Wait just a minute, pretty boy. Take one more step closer, and your beautiful wife will have her head blown off," He says.

I calm my rising heartbeat down when I see two FBI agents hiding in the bushes with their guns drawn.

"Lucas look out!" Maya yells before I hear a gunshot go off. I turn around to see that the man who attacked me in the bathroom was laying on the ground unconscious. Maybe even dead. Other FBI agents are clearing witnesses from the scene and checking the pulse of the man who attacked me in the bathroom.

When I turn back around, I see that the two FBI agents who were hiding in the bushes tackled the man holding Maya hostage. I put my gun up and run over to help Maya off the ground. She grabs a hold of my hand and throws herself into my arms. I wrap my arms around her and try to calm her down.

"Mr. Walker," I hear somebody call. I look around, not used to being called that, yet.

"Mr. Walker, I am Agent Lewis. I am the head of the Indiana unit of the FBI. I quickly got word of your situation from Agent Dobbs in New York. We want you know that we have this situation under control, and you both are free to go. Try to lay low for the next couple of days. Agent Dobbs and Agent Hannigan have warned the head of the FBI in each state. These guys who attacked you, are highly wanted criminals. I would say they are on the top ten list, but there are more than ten," Agent Lewis informs us.

"Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I don't know how those guys found us, but we're happy that y'all got here fast," I tell him, shaking his hand, "Thank you."

Maya and I meet back up at the car. She's still shocked as to what happened, but she can't be this way if she's going to be one of my partners in LA.

"What the hell just happened?" She asks.

"Here, I'll tell you on the way to the hotel," I respond, opening the passenger side door for her. She climbs into the vehicle, and I climb into the driver seat.

* * *

"You gonna tell me what happened back there?" She asks again. I check the rear view mirror for the thousandth time, checking to see that no one is still following us.

"Those guys work for Marianne. I guess they followed us out of New York and some how got our location," I explain, still trying to put the pieces together.

"But Lucas Friar and Maya Hart are dead. Why would they follow us if they didn't know that we were still alive? We haven't seen anybody from the outside world at all that week besides Dobbs, Hannigan, Zay, and Mr. Walden! And there's no way that Dobbs and Hannigan are stupid enough to let it slip in front of somebody that we're not really dead!" Maya fusses.

"I don't know, Maya! I'm just as shaken up about this as you! But we aren't going to get through this together if we're yelling at each other, so please. Let me tell you what we're going to do to get answers," I say.

Maya doesn't say anything after this. She agrees and listens to what information I do have. "Agent Lewis told me that we should lay low for the next couple of days. When we get to the next hotel, we're going to stay there and talk to Dobbs and Hannigan and see if they know how those guys found us. We won't leave that hotel until they tell us something."

"Okay."

I sigh, "I'm sorry for fussing at you. I just needed you to listen to me. And I need you to trust me."

"Okay. I'm sorry for fussing at you too. I'm not used to high intensity situations like you are. It's something that I'll have to learn how to deal with," Maya says.

"I know. And I hate that you have to deal with it, but you aren't going to deal with it alone. I still get scared in situations like that, but I have to push that to the back of my mind because if I don't, then I will get myself and a lot of other people killed," I explain, "But don't worry about getting that way at first. Nobody does well with situations like that until they get used to being in situations like that."

Maya and I are quiet for the rest of the ride. We stop at a motel on the border of Indiana and Illinois. It isn't the greatest looking motel. It isn't the greatest smelling motel either, but it'll do for the next couple of days. The room has two beds, which is kind of a relief for Maya and me. The television is older than my grandmother, but I'm not really up to watching television right now. This motel reminds me of the one in the movie, _Joy Ride_.

Maya grabs a towel out of her suitcase and some pajamas. She walks to the bathroom, but she isn't in there for two seconds before she runs out again.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"That bathroom is too disgusting. There are cockroaches in the bath tub and few questionable stains on the wall and on the shower curtain," She responds. She puts her towel back into her suitcase and stares at me, trying to get my attention.

"What?" I ask.

"Could you turn around, so I can change my clothes? I would rather sleep in clothes not splattered in someone else's blood," She replies.

I nod and swing my feet off the side of the bed and turn my back towards her. I hear the sound of her shuffling as she removes her bloodied clothes and a few sniffles.

"Do you want to talk about what's on your mind?" I ask.

She sniffles again. "No. You can turn around now, I'm decent."

I prop my legs up on the mattress again and lean back against the dusty pillow. Out of all the places to stop and rest for the night, I had to stop at one of the nastiest motels ever. The tv is turned to a low volume, and Maya turns the lamp off, making the room dark enough to get a little bit of sleep. She rests her head on her hands on the pillow, her eyes closed.

I grab my suitcase and grab some different clothes to change into and the rubbing alcohol and some gauze. I pull my shirt over my head and stuff that to the bottom of my suitcase, wondering how I can explain to a dry cleaner about a blood stain on my shirt. I unbuckle my belt and pull that off before unbuttoning my pants and letting them fall to the floor. I shove my pants to the bottom of my suitcase with the dirty t-shirt, and pull out a pair of clean sweatpants. I change my boxer-briefs before I slip my sweatpants over them.

Before I lay down, I clean my wounds and throw the dirty gauze away. I lay down in my bed and try to imagine being in a clean hotel room.

We were told to lay low for the next couple of days, but I think we can find a clean hotel to stay at until we're clear to start traveling again.

I hear shuffling around from Maya's bed. She's probably just turning around or something. I don't know, or at least I didn't know until I heard shuffling around from right behind me in the same bed that I am in. Maya throws the cover over her legs and scoots herself closer to my back. She wraps her arm around my torso, careful not to touch my bullet wounds. I nonchalantly move my hand over hers and give it a gentle squeeze.

And it isn't long before I hear her quiet snores.

* * *

 _ **I know what y'all are thinking. How did those guys know that Maya and Lucas are still alive? Well...that will be explained. And so will the story of why Maya and Lucas broke up and the whole deal they had about splitting the rent for the apartment and blah blah blah. I will get to all of it.**_

 _ **I hope y'all enjoyed! More cool and fun and angst-y stuff to come!**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi guys! I'm sorry I haven't updated this is a while. I know how annoying it is that I'm inconsistent with my post dates; I get really annoyed with myself when I do this, but it's such a hard (bad) habit to break. Please forgive me.**_

 _ **This chapter is going to be really interesting...in a funny way? Maybe? I don't know.**_

 _ **Most of y'all have boobs and nipples right? You shouldn't be bothered by what I describe later on in the chapter, then.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

When I wake up in the dirty ass bed in this dirty ass motel room that smells like cheese, I see Maya sitting up beside me with her laptop. I turn around and see her looking for a better, cleaner, and less smelly place for the both of us to stay for a few days.

Agents Dobbs and Hannigan think it would be best for Maya and me to lay low after what happened at the rest stop yesterday. I agree that laying low would be the best thing for our safety right now, but a part of me wants to find out who those guys are and how they knew Maya and I weren't dead.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

Maya glances at me. "I'm looking for a nicer place to stay but all I can find in this area are bed and breakfasts. As nice as they look on the website, I'm still not sure about staying in somebody else's house for a few days. That's just weird to me."

"If we need to stay in a clean bed and breakfast to avoid another motel like this, then I don't really care. I just want to get out of here. I think this place is haunted," I say.

Maya laughs at that last part. "I'm not gonna lie when I tell you that I agree." She looks at her screen and turns to me. "How does this place sound?"

I look at the bed and breakfast website she has pulled up on her laptop. The family in the pictures look friendly and their house looks clean. Not to mention that the food looks amazing. I think we may have found the place we're going to stay at.

"Lets bail."

* * *

Maya and I changed out of our pajamas and quickly left that horribly gross motel. I drove for the next five miles to the bed and breakfast. Maya called the hostess of the B&B on the way there, and she sounded excited to have customers stay at her and her husband's house. The only thing that kind of worried us was that they have two kids. A teenage girl and a slightly older boy.

But anything is better than that sloppy motel.

I pull into the driveway of the bed and breakfast. The house is pretty big, so hopefully Maya and I can have some privacy. I turn the car off and get out to get our luggage out of the back. We make our way up to the front door and ring the doorbell.

"I've never seen a house this big," Maya comments, "It looks nice."

"Yea. But who knows what it's like on the inside. That motel looked nice from the outside," I say.

"Will you shut up about the damn motel already? We left. We don't have to stay there anymore. It was gross. Probably one of the grossest places we've ever stayed."

"Yea but-"

"I don't want to hear about the motel for the rest of our new lives. Got it?" She interrupts. I give her an appalled look. I was just taken by surprise. She smirks at me, and the front door opens.

"Hello! You must be Maya and Lucas Walker! It's so nice to meet you! My name is Claire Hamby. I am the co-owner along with my husband, Andrew," The woman, named to be Claire, shakes mine and Maya's hands along with her husband, Andrew.

Claire walks over to a couple. I guess they're staying here too. I'm not too sure why they'd be waiting down stairs to meet us. It's confusing, but it's a nice gesture? I guess? The man is pretty tall. He's about 6'4" compared to my 5'11". He looks like he needs to turn sideways to walk through the front door. If he didn't have a kind smile on his face right now, I would think that this guy could kill me if he wanted to. His gigantic arm is wrapped around the waist of his petite wife? I'm guessing. She's about 5'3", which is a huge height difference for the couple. She's coddling a baby. The baby is asleep in her bony arms. This girl doesn't even look old enough to have a child.

"Lucas, Maya. This is my son, Luke," It is at this point that Claire looks at the both of us and laughs for almost having the same name. "And this is his wife, Elizabeth. And their precious son, Sebastian."

"Nice to meet you," Maya and I greet the couple. They shake our hands and talk with us a little bit before Claire walks over to the staircase, where another girl is standing. This must be her teenage daughter.

"This is my daughter, Matilda," Claire says, but in a way that makes her seem kind of embarrassed.

Matilda is about 5'8". She has tattoos that cover her arms. The side of her head is shaved. Her eye make up makes it look like she doesn't even have eyes. Her face jewelry makes her face shine. Ironically, she's wearing a sundress. And this sundress has puppies all over it. It kind of juxtaposes with her hair and make up, but as long as she's comfortable. It's not my place to judge.

"Nice to meet you, Matilda," Maya says and goes to shake Matilda's hand.

What happened, though, took the both of us by surprise. Matilda quickly grabs Maya's hand and smells it. Maya's eyes widen, and she looks at me. Matilda continues to fondle Maya's hands.

"You have gorgeous hands, Maya," Matilda says.

Maya, still uncomfortable, says, "Uh...thanks?"

Claire lightly pulls Matilda away from Maya's hands. Matilda turns around and hisses at her mother and walks back up stairs.

"Sorry about that," Claire apologizes. "She's going through a phase. I'm sure it-"

"It's not a phase mom! This is who Gardevoir wants me to be! You can be so stupid!" Matilda yells from the top of the staircase before storming away.

"Gardevoir?" Maya asks.

Luke explains the whole thing to us. "Gardevoir is a pokemon that Matilda is obsessed with. She claims that Gardevoir is her lord and savior. Mom tries to take her to different churches, but Matilda just gets angry. Me and dad accepted it a long time ago, but mom is still having a hard time with it," He nods his head after he explains. "I'm sorry if that is uncomfortable weird."

Maya and I look at each other. "What?" Maya says. "No. We've all experimented with that kind of stuff..."

Luke smiles at us, and his baby starts crying. He turns around to look at Elizabeth, who is obviously exhausted. He gently grabs the baby boy from Elizabeth's arms. He kisses her on the forehead and whispers, "I've got this, babe."

Elizabeth smiles and walks over to Maya and me. "I'm sorry that I'm not properly awake right now. I am running off a few hours of sleep. Luke is too, but he's better at staying awake than I am."

"Don't worry about it. It's understandable when you have a newborn," Maya says.

"Yea. That's true. Thank you for understanding. Not a lot of people do. They give me criticism for getting married and pregnant at a young age, " She replies.

Maya smiles and says, "Uh...How? How old are you?"

"Oh. I'm only 19."

"Wow! How old is Luke?"

"26."

"What?" I begin to yell before Maya stomps on my foot. I wanted to scream in pain, but I knew that was her cue to get me to shut up. I didn't say anything else. I was just shocked by the age difference.

"You did start young, but you and Luke seem very happy together," Maya tells Elizabeth, who just smiles back.

"I know that a seven year age gap is pretty big now, but Luke is such a gentleman. He is very sweet and loving. People just don't know how much we love each other. And it's not like we were together when I was 15 or something. I am happy," Elizabeth tells us.

She's actually very mature for her age. I know when Maya was 19, she wasn't mature enough to hear about marriage or a family from me. Elizabeth already has her own family already. But it's whatever, I'm not bitter.

* * *

Maya and I stay put in our own room for most of the day. We don't really talk, but I know that Maya needs to talk about something. I can tell by the look on her face. I'm about to ask her about whatever is on her mind, but Claire knocks on the door.

"Dinner's ready!" She tells us with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hamby," Maya says and gets up off the bed. I follow her downstairs into the dining room, where a huge dinner is prepared. Everything looks amazing. Everything smells amazing. It's nice to have this instead of take out food.

Maya and I sit beside each other at one end of the table. We are across from Luke and Elizabeth, who are both playing with their son. They look like a nice little family. I can imagine having a family like that with Maya. I have ever since we moved in together. Maybe even before we moved in together. It would be fulfilling to have a family like that with Maya.

Matilda runs downstairs with a large white cape on. She prances over to the seat beside me and sits on her feet. I'm not gonna lie when I say that I was very creeped out by Matilda, but it just took me by surprise honestly. I can roll with whatever.

"I hope y'all are hungry!" Claire says. She sits across the table from her husband, Andrew. They say their own prayers at the table before digging in. Maya and I begin to eat too. Of course, being in a stranger's house and eating their food and using their utensils is uncomfortable. I can practically breathe in the awkward air that Maya is breathing as she eats. And I wouldn't be surprised if she says the same thing.

"So," Claire begins, "Where are you two from? And where are you two headed?"

Maya finishes chewing her food and wipes her mouth before answering. "We're from Wilmington, North Carolina. And we are moving to Los Angeles because we both got relocated by our departments in the police force."

"Oh. That's interesting. North Carolina is a lovely place. That's where Luke was born. Andrew and I went to the beach there, and Luke couldn't wait any longer to be born. I guess it was the fresh North Carolina air," Claire says with a laugh.

"Oh yea. It's a very clean feeling when you're over there," Maya says.

I give her a surprised look. How would she know? She's lived in New York since forever. She's never even been to North Carolina. Maya looks at me and shrugs. I knew she was just guessing.

"It really is," Claire says. I look at Andrew who is nodding in agreement. I've never been to North Carolina either, but I guess we're pretty on point about it so far. I have to make a mental note: clean air.

"Hey, mom. Tell them where I was born," Matilda speaks up.

"I will not," Claire responds.

"Dad? Will you tell them?" Matilda asks.

Andrew sets his fork down and wipes his mouth. He hesitates, so I know this is going to be a little bit weird. He moves around in his seat for a minutes before he faces us and finally sits still.

"Matilda claims that she was born from the seed of a penguin, but Gardevoir wanted her to-" He clears his throat. "Umm...Gardevoir wanted her to be human to save an entire colony of ant eaters." He leans over to us and lowers his voice. "But she was really born in Ohio."

Maya and I nod. I just keep telling myself in my head that "It's better than the motel. It's better than the motel. It's better than the motel."

The awkward silence after that statement is broken when Luke and Elizabeth's newborn son begins to cry. Luke stands up to pick him up from his crib, and when he returns he sits down.

"He's hungry, mommy," Luke says.

"Aww," Elizabeth replies. She pulls the shoulder of her loose shirt down far enough to reveal her breast. I can't help but stare. I've never seen anybody breast feed before. Luke holds the baby's head long enough for the baby's lips to latch onto her nipple.

"There you go, buddy," Luke says. Thankfully, for me, he covers the baby's head and Elizabeth's breast up with a blanket.

"Thank you for this dinner Mr. and Mrs. Hamby. And thank you for letting Lucas and me stay here for the next few days. Boy am I stuffed. Lucas? You?" Maya asks me.

"Um...yes! I am very full. The dinner was lovely Mrs. Hamby. Maya and I are beat. We're probably just gonna look over a few expenses for our new house and go to bed. Thank you all," I say.

Maya drags me upstairs to our room and locks the door behind her when she shoves me inside.

"What the hell, Lucas?" She asks.

"What do you mean?"

"You are a sick person. Breast feeding is supposed to be a beautiful, natural thing. And you were sitting there drooling over a girl who is way too young for you and is married! Honestly. It was uncomfortable watching you watch her pull her breast out to feed her newborn baby!" Maya fusses at me.

"Maya! I wasn't drooling over her. I was staring because I've never seen anybody breast feed before. I was curious!" I defend.

"Sure. You've heard of curiosity killed the cat, right?" She asks.

"Yea."

"Well you are the cat. And I will be the curiosity if you ever do that again. You hear me?" She asks. I hold my hands up in defense.

"Fine, mom," I mumble.

"What was that?" She asks.

"Nothing! Goodnight."

* * *

 _ **Okay! I know this chapter is a little bit shorter. I do want to talk about the character Matilda real quick. Matilda is not supposed to represent anybody. I know that the stuff that I wrote down to describe her can be taken offensively, but trust me when I say that Matilda is a character that is a cluster of people that I know in real life. Like, I actually know someone who worships Gardevoir. Which, that's okay, I don't have a problem with it. It just kind of took me by surprise. But Matilda will be a character that all of you will come to love. You'll see why.**_

 _ **Hope y'all liked it.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey y'all! I know I'm a horrible person for not updating in a long time, and I will continue to apologize for my inconsistency forever, but I will not just stop writing this. I love this story so far, and I hope y'all are too. I will be introducing new characters as well as more GMW characters in the future.**_

 _ **But for now, Lucas and Maya are still gonna be with this crazy B &B family for a little while longer.**_

 _ **It's still better than that motel. Right?**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

I can feel myself waking up, though, I haven't opened my eyes. I wish I couldn't open my eyes because what I am looking at when I open my eyes scares the shit out of me. My eyes meet a pair of bright blue ones, but they don't belong to my new wife. They belong to the girl cutting my fingernails, which is probably the reason that I woke up in the first place.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I ask, quickly jerking my hand away from hers.

"I want your fingernails! I need them for my collection!" She yells pointing to a jar in the floor that was nearly filled with fingernails.

I feel nauseated when I see the jar sitting beside her on the floor. She grabs my hand and clips two more of my fingernails off and adds them to her collection. I start to gag from how sickening that is for me. I've never in my life, even as a detective at the NYPD, seen such a disgusting thing to collect from peoples' bodies.

"You how many serial killers would be sick because of something like that?"

"Thank you. Enjoy your stay," Matilda replies, ignoring my question, and slamming the door shut on her way out. I turn around and lay on my back to stare up at the ceiling.

"It's still better than that motel," I tell myself. The door opens again. I get scared for a second that it's Matilda coming back to cut my toenails. Luckily for me, it's Maya who walks through the door. She has an annoyed look on her face, and she plops herself down on the bed next to me.

"What's your problem?" She asks me before I get the chance to ask her.

"You mean besides waking up to a girl with serial killer-like tendencies cutting my fingernails and showing me her collection of the disgusting fingernails she's collected for God knows how long. You're luck that she didn't do th-"

Maya holds her freshly cut fingernails in my face.

"Oh..."

"Still better than the motel?" She asks.

I sigh and look back up at the ceiling. "That's what I keep telling myself."

"I just want to lay down and watch tv and do nothing all day," Maya admits. I couldn't agree more. It would be better than leaving the room to hang out with the insane family. I agree and hand her the remote control for the television.

"I don't want to worry about the road trip, our new lives, police business, so on... so forth...I just want to relax," She adds.

It isn't long into our relaxing day that there is a knock on the door. Maya gets up to open it.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Walker. Is everything okay so far?" Claire walks in the door and lays some fresh towels on the dresser.

"Everything is fine so far. Thank you," I reply.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. Breakfast is ready, would you like me to bring you your food?" She asks.

"No. That's okay. Lucas and I will come get breakfast in a minute. Thank you for offering though," Maya answers. Claire nods and walks out of the room.

Maya sits down on the bed again and sighs. She leans her head back on the pillow behind her and stares up at the ceiling. She stretches quickly before she sits up. She gets ready to go downstairs to get something to eat, but I have to ask her if she's okay.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

"It's nothing. I'm just struggling to deal with this new life," She says.

"Are you sure that's all? Because I know you. I can tell when there's more," I tell her.

Maya glares at me. I know that she hates it when I tell her that I know her because she wants to remain a mystery, but when you're in a relationship with someone for almost five years and live with them and share a space together, you get to know a lot about them.

"I always imagined people calling us Mr. and Mrs. Friar. I imagined it in my head for such a long time. I imagined what our life together could be like."

I honestly can't believe what Maya is telling me right now. That could've happened for us, but she was the one who messed that up. I don't want to start getting angry at her because I can't help but feel like she regrets what happened.

"But you turned my proposal down. If you imagined that for such a long time, then why did you turn me down?" I ask.

"It was after that. It was after we broke up. Some days I feel so stupid for turning your proposal down because I did want to marry you, but if I were to relive that day again, then I would turn you down again. And it's not because of you. I was just not ready to marry you yet. I've never been around a functional relationship. My parents split up when I was little, and I lost all hope for me to have a stable relationship. So, when you asked me to marry you, I got scared. And I turned you down."

I feel like Maya just dropped a bomb on me.

"Why didn't you tell me that? I would've understood!" I say. I can't stop myself from getting a little bit angry. And I try to not raise my voice, but at this point, I don't care. I want more answers.

"You never gave me the chance! You stormed out of our apartment before I ever got the chance to tell you that I would marry you someday. Then you went out with Tabitha, and I thought there wasn't any use in telling you anymore," Maya replies.

I don't know how to feel. I know that Maya turned me down for a pretty good reason. I mean, I shouldn't have pressured her into marrying me like I did. I thought for sure she was going to say yes. Then, I had to go and make the situation even worse by dating Tabitha. A girl that Maya worked with. What kind of asshole does that and expects to have a happy ending with the girl he really loves? Besides me.

Maya gets up and walks out of the room. I quickly follow behind her, and she walks down the stairs to the dining room where she makes herself a breakfast plate and sits down in front of Elizabeth, who is burping her baby boy. I sit down next to her.

I lean closer to her ear, "Are you mad?" I ask.

"No. I'm not mad," She mumbles. But she seems mad at me.

"Good morning! How are all of you?" A cheerful Luke walks into the dining room and sits beside Elizabeth. He gives her a long peck on the lips and offers to hold Sebastian.

"We're good," Maya replies. "We got a nice breakfast in a nice home. It's way better than that motel we stayed the night in."

"In what way?" Luke asks.

"Well, the beds were really dirty. The floor had some questionable stains. The bathroom was crawling with cockroaches and has stains on the walls and bathtub that you don't even want me to begin describing. The service was horrible, but I think it was because the phone line from the room to the front desk had been cut. It was really disgusting," Maya explains.

"Wow. That sounds unsatisfying," Elizabeth comments. She looks at Maya's hands and shakes her head. "I see Matilda got into your room this morning?"

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"Your fingernails are gone as well as Maya's. Honestly, I don't see why that girl loves fingernails so much," Elizabeth says. Luke chuckles and makes a funny face at Sebastian.

"So, what are you guys in town for? If you don't mind me asking," Elizabeth asks.

Maya and I look at each other, searching for an answer before anything looks suspicious. Luckily, Maya comes in with the save as she looks back at Elizabeth and smiles.

"Well, Lucas and I are going to L.A. for our honeymoon slash job opportunity. We've been married for nine months, and you would think that we would've been able to go on a honeymoon, but money was tight. Now that we have it, we want to finally have a nice honeymoon. We decided to go to L.A. to relax, but also to look for a job in the police force over there," Maya explains without faltering.

"Aww that's nice. You two look really happy together, and I hope that you both have a great honeymoon. Luke and I haven't been married for too long, longer than nine months, but not too much longer. We got a nice honeymoon in Tahiti. It was so beautiful and calm," Elizabeth says.

She looks at Luke. I can't help but notice the true love between them. The way they smile at each other and look into each others eyes. She lays her head on Luke's very broad shoulder. It reminds me of how Maya and I used to be. The looks. The kisses. The eyes. The small gestures. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic.

"I love that we're going to L.A., but I would really love to go somewhere like Tahiti or St. Vincent and the Grenadines," Maya says.

I always knew that Maya wants to go to those places. I've just been so busy with work that I've never gotten the chance to take her to those places. I hope I get to one day. I hope I get to make things right between us again.

"Those are beautiful places. Luke and I love to travel. Before we had Sebastian we got to go on a lot of those trips, and we're excited to take our son on those trips with us someday," Elizabeth responds.

"You two look so happy and sweet together. How do you guys do it?" Maya asks.

Luke looks up from the baby in his arms and looks at Elizabeth. Elizabeth, with a smile still on her face looks at Maya. I can't help but wonder the same thing.

"Well, Luke and I met when I was five. He was twelve, and they moved in next door to us. My parents are friends with his parents so we'd go to each others houses a lot. At that time he wasn't interested in girls or girls that were five. We kind of kept our distance until he graduated college. I was seventeen, and he was 24. I had just gotten out of a terrible relationship, and Luke comforted me. We talked all night. Eventually, our attraction towards each other grew. After I turned eighteen, we got together. We were together for year before he asked me to marry him. We had Sebastian three months ago, and things are amazing right now," Elizabeth says.

"Yea. When we found out she found out she was pregnant, I bought this house for us. My parents and sister moved in after their house got infested with termites. My mom wanted to open a Bed and Breakfast here because the house is so big. I thought it'd be great business, " Luke says gesturing to the house we are currently staying in.

"Wow. You guys did move fast. But as long as y'all are happy, then that's all that matters," Maya says. I was confused for a second about the timeline of the story. They got together when she was eighteen and got married when she turned nineteen, but she's nineteen right now. I just forgot that everybody has a birthday, and she must be ready to turn twenty years old soon.

"We're really happy. I mean we do argue, and I know that we're not perfect, but we talk to each other and work things out. We just know that we really love each other, and we really love our tiny family," Elizabeth replies.

"I know it's harder for some couples to talk to each other when they get mad, but if they actually tried it, then most couples wouldn't break up," Luke adds.

It's like they heard the conversation between Maya and me before we came downstairs. But they were right. I glance at Maya who is pulling at the hangnails on her thumb. She looks over at me and nods.

"That's true," Maya replies. "I'm not very hungry anymore. But what I did eat tasted fantastic. Please tell Claire that I said thank you for the breakfast. And thank you both for talking to us," Maya says before standing up from the table and going back upstairs.

"Will do," Luke says. He stands up with his son in his arms. "C'mon mama, We've got to get Sebastian ready to go to grandma and grandpa's house."

Elizabeth and Luke walk out of the dining room, leaving me by myself. I know that I shouldn't have stormed out of our apartment that night Maya rejected my proposal. I guess I was just so shocked and embarrassed that she said no that I didn't know what to do.

I get my Maya is so mad at me now. And I need to fix it.

* * *

 _ **Okay! That's all for this chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed it. I know this isn't that long of a chapter, but things are going to get more and more interesting from here. I just wanted to take this chapter to go into the story of how Lucas and Maya broke up. I hope y'all liked the beginning part. And I also hope that y'all liked the story of Luke and Elizabeth.**_

 _ **Lucas and Maya are headed back onto the road, but just because they are leaving the Hamby House, doesn't mean that we'll never hear of them again. Just wait and see.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi guys! I know that I update and leave for a while, and I will always continue to apologize for that. I just want to thank all of y'all who continue to read this story. I really hope that it's entertaining, and that the story line is working well.**_

 _ **Maya and Lucas are on the road again, things get interesting. I'm just gonna say that this is rated T+ near the end? Probably. I hope y'all like it!  
**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Thank you for staying at the Hamby B and B. I hope that you both enjoyed your stay and please, come back," Claire says to Maya and me before giving us both a gentle good bye hug. "Give us a call if you need anything, and I mean anything."

"Will do, Mrs. Hamby. Thank y'all for the interesting stay. It was way better than that motel," I reply, throwing the last suitcase in the back of the new car.

Agents Dobbs and Hannigan both agreed that after Marianne's men, somehow, followed Maya and me and tried to assassinate us, that it's time to get us a new car to travel in. How the agents got it to the Hamby's residence is beyond my knowledge. I know, though, that Maya and I would feel a little bit safer in a new car.

We say our goodbyes to the rest of the Hamby family and climb into the new vehicle. Maya decides to drive this time because I've driven most of the time. Plus, she thinks that I need more time to study the black notebook and get to know my new self better. She really doesn't listen to me when I tell her that I know my new self, inside and out.

Maya pulls out of the driveway and makes her way to the interstate. Hopefully, we can make it to Kansas tonight.

We start off in silence again. I don't know if Maya's mad at me or not. She hasn't spoken a word to me since our talk about why we broke up. That was yesterday morning. I just need to know what I can do to make it up to her. I don't know what she's thinking. I don't know what she wants.

After spending a few hours on the road in silence, Maya finally says something to me. It isn't much, but she isn't yelling or just doing whatever she want to do. She actually asks me.

"Are you hungry?"

I nod, and it isn't long before she gets off an exit and pulls into the first restaurant that her eyes lay on. We get out of the car and walk in and sit down, ready to order something. She tells our waitress what she would like, and I tell her what I would like, and the waitress takes our menus and walks away. I think that it's going to go back to silence between us, and it does. However, unlike the uncomfortable car ride, Maya is staring at me.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I ask her. I didn't try to sound like a smart ass, but I think that I possibly came off as one.

"You thought Elizabeth was pretty didn't you?" She asks me, catching me totally off guard with that question.

"What the fuck? Why did you just ask me that out of the blue?"

She shrugs but quickly replies. "I don't know. I'm curious about your thoughts on her. I mean she's got those hazel doe eyes, plump lips, and her body didn't look bad at all considering she just had a gigantic baby."

"Well have you seen her husband? No wonder that baby is gigantic! Luke could pummel me. And I bet you thought he was good-looking," I say.

"Of course I did. He's long, tan, and handsome. And if you haven't noticed, I'm kinda into long, tan, and handsome. I mean I dated you for years," Maya bluntly adds, catching me off guard again. She has always had a habit of doing that to me, and I got used to it for a while.

"Will you answer my first question?" Maya asks. "And don't you dare lie to me, because I know your tell."

I hesitated, but I answered. "Yes, I thought she was pretty."

Maya nods and looks down at her fingers. She picks at the skin around her fingernails and is silent again until the waitress walks up to our table to give us our food.

We eat in silence. The most uncomfortable silence I could ever feel while eating. Maya and I have eaten in silence before, but it was never awkward or uncomfortable. There was never any tension between us, and I get the feeling that she actually hates me. I also get the feeling that she feels really insecure.

So I wait until she sets her fork down. I lean over the table, and I grab her hand. I'm the one to catch her off guard this time.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"I'm telling you the rest of the truth," I respond. And what I say is the honest truth. "Yes, I do think that Elizabeth is pretty. But I also think that you are beautiful and not just on the outside. Those feelings that I had for you when we were together, never went away. I still think of you the way I did since before we ever got together. And I know that you probably hate me now, and I know that you being stuck with me isn't the best thing to happen to you, and I'm sorry for that. But I want you to know that my feelings for you have never changed."

Maya stares at me. And unless I'm mistaken, I think I see her eyes welling up a little bit. But that theory goes out the window when she stands up and takes her hand away from mine. She grabs her coat and looks at me again.

"I don't hate you, huckleberry," She says. I'm surprised that she referred to me as Huckleberry. It was a nickname that she gave me when we first met, when I moved to New York from Texas.

I stand up and pay for our meals and tip the waitress before following Maya out the door to our car. She stops in front of it and hands me the keys. We leave the restaurant and head back on the road.

"I know that I caught you off guard with that question, and I'm sorry. I was just wondering because her appearance put me in the mind of Tabitha. I'm stupid for even asking that question," Maya says.

"You're not stupid. I know I hurt you when I dated her and dating her will be a decision that I will always regret. She was pretty, but she wasn't you. And I wasn't happy. You know Tabitha, she's a bitch. She got so mad when-" I stop myself before I completely embarrass myself and seem like even more a huge jack ass than I already am.

"What? She got so mad when what?"

I sigh, regretting that I even started to say that last part. "She got mad when she found out that I was still living with you. She told me to come live with her, but I was only with her for a month. I freaked out, so I told her that I wasn't going to move out."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I wasn't ready to leave you yet. I know we were broken up, but you were calling me almost every night to come pick you up at some nightclub. I couldn't leave you. I don't know if you remember this or not, but I was there with you in the bathroom. I held your hair back while you were puking your guts out. I always made sure we had the stuff for hangovers. Because I couldn't literally leave you yet. As creepy as that sounds," I explain. I hope that I don't get slapped across the face for this, but I had to get that off my chest.

Maya is quiet until she sees the sign on the side of the road.

"We made it to Kansas."

"Great," I reply and turn off the first exit that I see a hotel at.

* * *

Luckily, the hotel isn't as messy as the motel in Indiana. But we haven't gotten to our room yet. However, we are being led to our room by a bellhop, which I've never experienced before. I can't say that I'm upset because I didn't have to carry mine and Maya's luggage.

"I hope you find your room in good shape. Enjoy your stay," The bellhop says as he hands the keycard to Maya. She quickly opens the door, and I wonder what has her in such a rush. She was in a rush to get out of the car and get checked into the hotel. I wonder what's wrong with her.

Until I am quickly pulled into the room by my shirt collar. I am completely stunned when Maya pushes me against the door and presses her lips against mine. I don't do anything at first because of shock, but I can't help but fall into her and kiss her back. Her lips are so soft and plump against mine. I moan when she decides to slowly swipe her tongue against mine. I feel her whole body shiver when I caress her tongue with mine.

My hands grab a hold of her waist and lift her off the ground. Her legs wrap around my torso as I carry her over to the bed. Once she is laid down on the bed, she starts taking her shoes and socks off. She looks up at me as she slowly unbuttons her blouse. I feel my pants getting tight when she does this. She throws her blouse off the side of the bed, leaving her in her jeans and her baby pink bra.

She reaches up and wraps her tiny fingers around my neck, pulling me down to kiss her again. It's been a long time since I've done this. It's been a long time since we've done this. Her hands move down my shoulders to the hem of my t-shirt, and she slowly raises my shirt up, grazing my abdomen before she motions for me to pull my shirt over head.

Once I do that, I immediately pull her in for another kiss. I feel her leg slowly link with mine before she pulls away and flips us over. She begins to kiss and suck on my neck while grinding down on my crotch, continuing to make me groan.

And I don't know what happened to me. I feel bad for making out with Maya right now. I don't know why because she was the one who initiated the whole thing, but I can't help but feel that she's doing this out of pity for me putting up with her drunken ass for those months after we broke up or maybe she's feeling vulnerable, and she knows that we both haven't gotten any in a long time. Either way it doesn't feel right. No matter how much I want her right now, I know that I can't have her, yet.

I gently pull her off my neck and stop her.

"What? Did I do something wrong? I know how much you loved it when I took control," Maya says out of breath. I'm repeating "you're doing the right thing" in my head right now.

I'm heavily breathing when I reply too. "You didn't do anything wrong. I just can't help but think that your doing this out of vulnerability or pity or whatever. But I know that you aren't ready to do this with me again. Not yet anyway. I want to do this, but I can't."

Maya sighs and buries her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry. You're right. I don't know what came over me when I decided that this would be a good idea," She says. She leans forward and lays her head on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Maya. We have a long way to go to repair our relationship. I know that we're married now, but we still know the old us. It's something that we can't let go of. But we can always build the new us," I tell her.

She nods and sits there for a little bit longer before standing up and getting things ready to go take a shower. Once she leaves the room, I sit there wondering what in the hell is wrong with me.

"You did the right thing." I tell myself. "You did the right thing."

* * *

 _ **Okay! That's the end of this chapter. I you all liked it. I know how eclectic the attitude of Lucas and Maya's relationship has been in this chapter. I will explain this in the next chapter, it will be multiple things.**_

 _ **But just get ready because the next chapter is going to get a little bit crazy, especially since Maya and Lucas will make it to the desert.**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hi! Finally! Now That You're Grown is finished! And I am ready to focus my attention back to this story. Thank you all so much for reading this and reviewing, and I apologize again for not updating regularly until I finished my other story. I hope y'all don't hate for it, but I love this story, and I love writing, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.  
**_

 _ **lechicarebelde22: I am so sorry that the GMW writers broke your sweet little Lucaya heart. But have no fear. I have a feeling that Lucas and Riley aren't gonna last too much longer. (But I am not a reliable source to that. I live on the other side of the country. I don't know anything about GMW tapings. I just read what people on tumblr say.) Love you, and I love writing Lucas and Maya.**_

 _ **This chapter will get a bit interesting. Especially since Maya and Lucas arrive in the desert. Y'all are also gonna get a surprise.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Maya and I are on the road again. We hope to make it to make it to Las Vegas tonight, but it will be tough because it's a sixteen hour drive. We currently are driving through the Colorado desert, and it's way hotter than I expected. I think I saw the temperature gauge in our car read "too damn hot" at one point, but I'm not sure.

There is not a single store or restaurant in sight, and I don't know where the next exit is. I can tell that Maya is getting tired of driving, and we both probably need to use the restroom.

The air between Maya and I has been nothing but awkwardness. We'd only talk to switch seats, and that's it. After what happened last night between the two of us, we've barely spoken a word to each other. I was asleep before Maya came back from showering, so I don't know what she is thinking about our...situation.

I turn my head to look out the window. I see nothing but dirt and cacti. I am bored out of my mind, and I really have to piss. In my head, I imagine a picture of my bladder. My bladder is almost bursting with piss, but because it can't be let out yet, my bladder is being poisoned. By my own piss...

I've had four bottles of water since leaving Kansas early this morning. We stopped in Kansas after an hour of driving to use the bathroom and get some snacks, and that was six hours ago. I am in desperate need of something.

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel the car jolt upward and then back to the ground. I quickly look to see the panicked look on Maya's face. She pulls the car off the road and into the sand of the desert. She turns the car off and looks at me.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

She nods. "I hit something. I'm afraid that it was an animal."

She begins to panic. Ever since I've known Maya, she has always loved animals and hates to see anything happen to any animals. She ran over a squirrel one time when we went to Texas, and she didn't drive for two months. She hates situations like this.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure it's was a rock, I'll get out and look," I tell her. She nods and waits for me to come back.

I step out of our car and walk all the way back to the location of where she thinks she hit something. I look around the area and even in the ditch on the shoulder of the highway. I see no dead animal. But I don't see any rocks either. It's weird, but I turn around and head back to the car.

"It must've been a rock or something. I didn't see any dead or injured animals around," I tell her.

"What about under the car? It could've gotten stuck on something," Maya says. I want to roll my eyes and tell her that she is crazy for thinking that. Animals can't get stuck on the bottom of a car, but the look in her eyes tells me that she is genuinely scared that she hurt something, so I ignore my impulse to be sarcastic, and I crouch down on my stomach and take a look under the car.

"I don't see anything!" I yell up to Maya. I stand back up and get back into the passenger side of the car. Maya breathes a sigh of relief and starts the car up again.

Maya starts driving again, and I am curious as to what she is thinking about. My ego would like for her to be thinking about how she pounced on me last night, but she is probably thinking about what just happened with the literal bump in the road. I just can't help but bring it up, now. It will drive me insane if I don't know what she's thinking.

"Maya, we need to talk," I say. "About what happened last night."

"Yea we do..."

We stay quiet again.

"I'm sorry," We both say to each other.

"What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one who jumped on you and tried to take advantage of you. It was a stupid move, and I wish that I hadn't done it. I guess I was vulnerable because you said all those things about me at the diner yesterday, and then you told me about how much you took care of me whenever I would come home drunk. I just liked knowing that you had my back, no matter what," Maya says.

"Well I didn't have to let it go as far as it did. And that's what I'm sorry about," I tell her.

Maya glances at me and smiles. "I really appreciate you stopping us before we did something the both of us would regret. It reminds me of what kind of man you are. What kind of man I fell in love with."

I feel my heart skip three beats. Goodness, that girl has an affect on me. I nod my head and look out the window again.

"Hey Lucas? Can you grab my sunglasses out of the glove box?" Maya asks.

"Sure," I respond and lean forward to reach the glove box. But when I open it. I am met face to face with a western rattlesnake. "HOLY SHIT!"

Maya sees the snake and starts to swerve to the other side of the road from panicking. She gets off the road again, but it's too late to do anything because the snake already bit my hand. I pick it up with my other hand and throw it out the window before it can bite me again. I feel everything in my arm and hand start tightening.

"Oh my God! Lucas! Are you okay!" Maya freaks out.

I don't remember much about what happens after this. I can still hear Maya talk, but it's like I can't understand what she's saying. The last thing I remember her yelling is "Please help us!"

* * *

I wake up in a bright room. My vision is a bit blurry, and my arm hurts. I groan before I try to sit up. I see Maya stand up with another person. They try to get me to lay back down, but I can't remember what they said.

"Lucas?" I finally hear Maya say. "You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"I was bitten by a snake," I respond hoarsely. I look at my bandaged hand and groan again. "How did you get me here?"

"Well, Lucas. We had some surprise helpers," Maya says. She points to the bed beside me. I sit up and look over to see none other than the other long, tan, and handsome man, in Maya's opinion, wave at from his own hospital bed. I wave back at Luke and Elizabeth and lay back down.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Lucas, Luke and Elizabeth are agents. They are here to make sure we get to Los Angeles and stay in Los Angeles safely," Maya begins to explain. "They saw what happened on the highway and pulled up beside us. I didn't know what to do when you passed out in the passenger seat, but Luke came over and sucked the venom out of your hand. He saved your life."

I sit up again and look at Luke. "Thanks, man. How did you not die?"

"I spit the venom out when I got it all out of your system. I didn't get every drop out of your system, that's why you're here. And I must've got some in my system because I am in here too," Luke explains.

"You two are agents?" I ask.

"Yes," Elizabeth responds.

"Aren't you like seventeen?"

"I'm actually twenty three, and Luke is thirty one. We did meet when I was five, and we did get married when I was nineteen. Most of our story that we told you at the bed and breakfast was true," Elizabeth says.

"What about your adorable kid?" Maya asks.

"Sebastian is our son, and he is three months old. He stays with my parents in New York when Luke and I have to go on trips like this. We are still apart of his life, and we are raising him. I just have to clarify. Actually, when we get to Los Angeles, my parents will be bringing him to us because we're going to be here for a while," Elizabeth says.

"When _we_ get to Los Angeles?"

"Yea. We're assigned to go with you and protect the both of you until we catch whoever is taking Marianne's place," Luke says.

"You know my case?" I ask.

"Yea. When the FBI gets involved, that means we get involved too. Especially with a male and female couple like you two. But don't worry. Elizabeth and I are laid back people. We're cool as long as you two don't do anything stupid," Luke explains.

I nod and stick my hand out to shake Elizabeth's and Luke's hands.

"Welcome to our new lives."

* * *

 _ **This was shorter than I expected, but I am happy with it none the least. I hope y'all enjoyed it. I decided to make Elizabeth and Luke kind of like reoccurring characters. They won't be in every chapter, but they will come in when they are needed, which will be coming up soon. Especially Vegas! Woot!**_

 _ **Anyways. I'm gonna start updating this more now that I finished with Now That You're Grown, and I am so excited to continue this story. It gets interesting.**_

 _ **I also have so many ideas for Lucaya in the works, so whoever is heartbroken because of the GMW writers, then y'all can rely on my stories to satisfy y'all (But in all honesty, I really believe that Lucaya will eventually happen.).**_

 _ **Toodles! Love y'all!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hi guys! I am so happy that y'all are loving the story still. I know the snake thing was a little bit unclear, and that is my fault. So, y'all know how Maya was afraid that she had hit an animal? Well she really did; it was the snake that bit Lucas. Snakes are weird creatures, they can find their way into anything, even into the glove compartment of a car. Lucas didn't see anything because the snake already made its way through the car. I thought I would just clear that up.**_

 _ **All I have to say about this chapter is: Vegas! Woot woot!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

The city of lights. Sin city. The entertainment capital of the world. Las Vegas, Nevada. This is our last stop before we arrive in Los Angeles, and I don't know about Maya, Luke, or Elizabeth, but I want to have fun tonight. We are still sitting in the hotel since we arrived earlier this morning. Maya and I crashed as soon as we fell onto a pillow. Elizabeth and Luke are in the room across from us, and they probably did the same thing when we got to the hotel. It's been an exhausting twenty-four hours.

I get out of bed and open the curtains and see the view of the city outside. It looks so beautiful on the outside considering how dirty it really is. The streets are filled with people who are out to have a good time. It looks like a regular night in New York City when Zay and I would patrol time square.

"Go get ready," I hear Maya say. I turn around and see that she is rummaging through her clothes for something to wear to go out tonight.

"Are you sure you want to do this? If you're too tired, then we can stay in," I reassure her.

She giggles. "Lucas, I am really in the need for some fun tonight. And since we're gonna be here for a few days, then I don't think it will hurt to try and win some big bucks."

"Or we'll arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow with no cash at all?"

"Not possible. I have a knack for card games. And I'm pretty damn good at the slot machines," Maya says. Now it's my turn to laugh. Her nonsensical sentences crack me up sometimes.

"You can't be good at slots. Slots is a game of luck. No skill needed," I tell her.

She pulls out a red dress from her suitcase and walks passed me to go to the bathroom. "We'll see about that, Huckleberry."

I laugh after she closes the door to the bathroom. Someone knocks on the door, so I walk over to see who is standing there. I'm not surprised to see that it's Luke and Elizabeth. They look dressed up, like they are ready for a good time tonight as well. I open the door and let them in. Luke is wearing a navy colored suit that shows off his broad frame. Elizabeth is wearing a sleeveless, tight white dress that goes just above her knee. Her cleavage is shown through the keyhole neckline. They looks at me with a smile and make themselves comfortable on our bed.

"So, are you and Maya going out tonight? Luke and I thought we should ask you, just in case," Elizabeth says.

"Maya's getting ready, and I'm waiting on her to be done so that I can get ready after her," I respond as I pull my black colored suit. "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable...but not too comfortable."

I walk to the bathroom door and open it just as Maya is trying to zip her dress. She struggles to reach the zipper in the back. I look at her in the mirror, and I'm taken aback by how beautiful she looks. The dress hugs all of her curves. The neck of the dress is in the shape of a "v" and shows her cleavage in a way that I don't ever remember Maya showing. Her plump lips match the color of her crimson dress, which I've always loved when Maya would wear red lipstick. She looks at me in the mirror and smiles because she caught me staring at her.

"Can you help me, pervert?" Maya asks. I nod and grab the zipper that begins at the small of her back, and I slowly drag the material up until it reaches the nape of her neck. I feel so tempted to tear this dress right off of her and take her right here in the bathroom, but I've set boundaries that I can't break because I've been enough of an ass, and I want her to get back to where she's comfortable around me.

"Thanks," She tells me. "Did I hear someone knock on our door?"

"Yea. It was Luke and Elizabeth. I guess they came to see if we wanted to go out tonight. But I told them to wait while we get ready," I say, taking my sweatpants off. I pull my black dress pants on and take my shirt off. I slip the white collar shirt over my shoulders and fix the sleeves before I start to button my shirt up.

I glance at Maya and see her looking at the bandage on my hand from the snake bite. She looks at me, so I smirk at her.

"Does it hurt, any?" She asks me.

"No. It's starting to heal a little bit, I think," I respond.

She shakes her head. "I mean your bullet wounds. Do they ever hurt? You haven't been cleaning them here lately."

"They hurt a little bit whenever I do too much strenuous activity, but they're starting to heal too. They don't hurt as much as they did when we started this road trip," I tell her.

She laughs. "We were just born, and you already have medical bills to pay. What am I going to do with you, Lucas Friar?"

"Lucas Walker," I correct her.

"Oh...right. Sorry."

I straighten the sleeves on my coat and look at her. "You ready?"

She nods, and we open the door to see Elizabeth and Luke sitting down on the bed, talking. They look at us and smile when we emerge from the bathroom. They stand up and walk over to the door. I walk over to my suitcase and grab my gun and tuck it in the back of my pants while Maya grabs her purse and locks arms with me before we leave the hotel.

* * *

Maya and I walk into the casino arm in arm along with Luke and Elizabeth. I take a look around, and I can't help but chuckle at my want to gamble tonight. I'm not very good at cards. In fact, I suck at them. Maya was always the one to beat me in poker or whatever game we would play with a deck of cards. I don't know anything about poker. She named hands that I didn't even know existed.

Luke and Elizabeth make their way to a blackjack table and change two hundred dollar bills. I have a feeling that they're really good at this game, I don't know why. It's just a hunch.

"Changing two hundred!" The dealer yells before handing Maya and I our chips. She sits in between Luke and me and patiently waits for her two cards.

I subtly look at the card with the bottom side down. Right now, I have nineteen. I don't know much about blackjack. I just know that I have to get twenty one or the closest one to twenty one at the table. I'm not sure where blackjack comes in. Ironically, though, I don't feel like much a risk taker when it comes to gambling. People would think that since I risk my life for people everyday that I would be more risky in every part of my life. But there are some things I can't be risky with.

"I'll stay," I tell the dealer. I look over at Maya, who has a tiny smirk on her face, and I ask, "What do you have?"

"Sorry Huck, I'm staying quiet about what I have," She tells me. She doesn't even look at me, and I know that she has her game face on because every time she would kick my ass at poker, she would have this same look on her face.

The dealer turns his cards over to reveal that he has twenty. I turn my cards over, and I'm out fifty bucks, but when Maya turns her cards over, she has twenty one. How in the hell can someone be so lucky at card games?

"Damn Maya, you're good at this," Elizabeth says as she reveals that she, too, has twenty one. The two girls share a laugh and put money in on the next game.

I'm not much of a blackjack person, and Luke isn't either, apparently. We stand up from the table and stand behind our spouses, watching them continue to win at this game. There's no way that someone is this good at this game, but after ten rounds, Maya decides to leave the table with eight thousand dollars. Who the hell am I married to?

"You're good at playing cards. I'll have to go against you sometime," Elizabeth tells Maya. Elizabeth won just as much money as Maya did. Luke and I look at each other like we're the stupid ones at the blackjack table...which, we are, but still.

"Is there anything else you want to do?" I ask Maya.

"Yea. I want to play the slot machines for a little bit. I'm good at slot machines," Maya says, making me laugh again.

"We'll see when you spend all eight thousand dollars you just earned," I tease her.

She laughs and pulls out some money from her purse. "I won't spend all eight thousand. Here's four thousand, go nuts."

"You don't want me to come with you?" I ask her.

"Nah. I'm better whenever I play alone. No offense to you, but seriously, go have some fun. I'll be fine on my own for a little bit," Maya says. I nod and kiss her cheek before I go walking around the casino for something to do. I don't feel right spending this money, so I think I'll just watch some people and see if I can learn something.

Elizabeth and Luke walk around with me. I tell them that they don't have to, but they just tell me that it's their job to make sure Maya and I make it to Los Angeles safely. I don't mind walking around with them anyway. Luke and Elizabeth are a nice couple. For a little while it feels like they could be mine and Maya's friends. Maya and I are a married couple with married couple friends, and it's kinda cool to think about.

We end up at a place outside where it's a little bit quieter, surprisingly. I didn't think there was a quiet place in the city of lights. Luke and I sit down on a ledge and Elizabeth sits on Luke's lap.

"So, Lucas. How did you and Maya really meet? I know that you can't really talk about your old lives anymore, but we know what it's like to have to leave something behind and pretend that it didn't happen. Tell us?" Elizabeth asks.

I smile, remembering the day I met Maya.

"I was born in Texas, and I lived there until I was about fourteen. I used to have a really bad temper, and I would get in fights in school a lot, so I got expelled, and I moved to New York with my dad. It was my first day there, and I was riding the subway to get to know my way around, when all of a sudden this short blonde girl walks up to me and has the fastest relationship with me that I've ever had. I can remember everything about that day. She broke up with me in less than twenty seconds, and I was intrigued by her humor and confidence. Then it turns out that she's in the same class as I am, and we're both in seventh grade at this point," I explain.

"How cute. Middle school romance," Elizabeth says.

"Well, it's more complicated than that. See, her best friend, Riley, had a crush on me, and I liked her too, I just wasn't sure how I liked her. But we tried dating, and everything was weird, so we ended things. Then, we all went to Texas to watch me ride a bull, and I find out at a campfire, by Maya herself, that she likes me. And then, on New Years Eve, Riley throws a party where I am told that Riley still has feelings for me. So, I had two great girls that I had to choose between. And those two girls have been best friends since forever," I continue.

"Holy shit," Luke says. "That must've been rough."

"It was," I respond. "But, anyway, this triangle thingy went unresolved for a long time, but then I went on a ski trip with our class, and Maya tells me to pick Riley. So Riley and I try things again, but things, again, didn't work out. Riley realized that she had feelings of love for someone else, and she is still with him to this day. But I wasn't heartbroken. Maya and I didn't immediately get together after Riley and I broke up. We took things slow because she was going through a lot with Riley, and I didn't think it was the right moment. But I caught her off guard one day. We were forced to talk to each other, and I told her how I felt."

"Aww. And have you guys been together since?" Elizabeth asks.

"No. We actually weren't together when we were relocated. The agency just found it more believable to pair us up as a married couple," I explain.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was a police detective, and I would have to go undercover and work with dangerous people. I could see her getting unhappy in our relationship, but I was so busy that I didn't do anything about it. So, we broke up. But she still lived with me because we didn't have no where else to go, so we decided to live together but in separate rooms. We were on good terms," I tell them.

"Well, what happened there?" Elizabeth asks.

"I was an asshole, and I dated one of her co-workers for a month. It was stupid on my part. She hated me after that. She stopped talking to me unless it was to give me her half of the money for the rent. I couldn't blame her though. I hate myself for doing that. But she started drinking and partying every night. It was almost every night that I would have to go pick her up at some bar or club in the city and take her home where she would keep me awake even more because she puked her guts out," I explain.

"Did she stop partying when she found out that she had to be located?"

"No. She stopped before that. She got scared one night after Riley and her boyfriend lost her in a club way far out in the city. It wasn't long after that night that I walked into our apartment to see her tied up in the floor and three of Marianne's men were there. I was able to loosen the knots good enough for her to free herself, but one of her men already shot me. I had to protect her though. I wasn't worried about anyone else but her. Turns out, she was the one who killed all three of them and helped me as much as she could. She wasn't even told that I wasn't really dead until I woke up in the hospital the next day," I explain.

"Wow. I can imagine how that must've felt," Elizabeth says. I take notice at how Luke squeezes her waist and kisses her shoulder, almost like he felt guilty about something. Working as a detective for so long, it's easier for me to read body language, and I feel that these two are hiding something from us.

"Yea. I just feel bad that she didn't get to say goodbye to her family and friends because the FBI pretty much kidnapped her until I woke up before they even let her know what happened. I get why they done it though, and after I explained it to her, she understood too. I think I'll always feel guilty for taking her away from her friends, her family, and her home. And it didn't help that Agent Hobbs and Agent Hannigan are forcing her to be my wife. I know she hates it, but I just want to make her feel as comfortable around me again as I can. That's why I wanted to road trip to LA instead of fly, but y'all know how that's turning out," I finish.

Elizabeth laughs. "Yea. Luke's intestines still thank you for the yummy snake poison."

We all three share a laugh and continue to talk until we hear screams coming from the inside. We all three run in and see people running for their lives.

"What the hell is going on?" Luke asks.

"I don't know. I need to find Maya," I say, and I run in the direction of the slot machines. Elizabeth and Luke follow me. I grab my gun out of my pants and hold it up, ready to use it if I need to. I turn around to see Elizabeth take a gun out of holder that is strapped to her thigh, Lara Croft style. Luke pulls a gun from behind him as well, and they follow me to the slot machines.

When we make it through the crowd of people running towards the doors. I see Maya standing over a guy, pointing her gun at him. I step closer to her, seeing that she has blood running down her arm.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

She nods, out of breath. "Yea. He-he came up behind me and shot his gun. It didn't hit me at first, but it ricocheted off the machine and into my arm. I tackled him to the ground as fast as I could, and he tried to shoot me again, but I grabbed his gun and slapped the hell out of him with it. He almost got me, but I turned the gun around on him before he pulled the trigger."

Elizabeth bends over and presses two fingers to the pulse on his neck. "He's dead."

Luke pulls out his cell phone and makes a call. "Hey, this is Agent Luke Kessler. They tried to attack again. Mrs. Walker fought the man and ended up killing him. Mr. Walker was with Agent Elizabeth Kessler and me."

I stop paying attention and try to tend to Maya's wound. I hear Luke mention the wound on the phone, but as soon as he gets off, he tries to get us out of the casino as fast as he can.

"Can one of you at least get my large bucket full of coins for me?" Maya jokes.

"How can you joke at a time like this?" I ask her.

"It helps me not go insane at the fact that I've just been shot," She replies. I help her out of the casino, and we get a quick cab to the hospital.

* * *

Maya sits up in her hospital bed, and tries to take her IV out of her arm.

"I think it would be a good idea to leave that in," I tell her. She looks at me like she didn't know I was in the room. I stand up and gently settle her down.

"I don't want to be here. I fucking hate this place. I'm surprised it's not your dumb ass that is in here right now," Maya says, making me laugh.

"I know. It's a good thing you're so good at slots. We have a lot of hospital bills to pay. And you winning twenty thousand dollars last night? You might want to thank Elizabeth for grabbing all of those coins, by the way. I think that might help us out a little bit. Plus, the eight thousand you won at blackjack. I'm glad you had a great time last night," I joke with her.

"Haha yea. It's not a party until someone gets attacked," Maya says sarcastically.

I wrap my arms around her. "I'm happy that you're okay. You're a maniac, you know that?"

"I think you've told me that a few times," Maya says.

I kiss her forehead and climb into the bed beside her. I wonder what the police thought when they arrived to the casino to see a dead guy at the slot machine. I wonder if whoever Luke called on his phone helped Maya not get any charges brought up on her.

I also wonder how in the hell Marianne's men know we aren't dead.

* * *

 _ **I hope y'all liked this chapter! I had fun writing it. In the next chapter, they will arrive to their house in LA. Luke and Elizabeth will explain what happened with the police, and who knows what else?**_

 _ **I know there's a mystery as to how Marianne's men know that Lucas and Maya are still alive, but I want to give y'all a hint because I can't really foreshadow anything.**_

 _ **(The hint is kinda stupid, but work with me) Think about what happens in a mob when a leader of a mob is taken out or put in prison. (For those of you who like soap operas. Think about Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital (my fave soap opera). How do you get Sonny Corinthos on your bad side? How do you make Sonny Corinthos send out a man to kill or, depending on the situation, kill someone himself? (This hint sucks, but still.)**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hi guys! I am loving where I am going with the story so far. I would like to say that my first week of college has absolutely kicked my ass. And I know that the first week of college is supposed to be easy, but I'm not at a University yet. I am at a community college for two years because it saves money, and there are a lot of things going on in my personal life that I need to stay home with my family for. But I am bogged down with work already. This college don't play. I should be doing my work right now, but I need a break, so I am writing!**_

 _ **Like I said, I am loving where this story is going so far, and I hope y'all are loving it too. Thanks to all of you who keep reading and reviewing despite my inconsistent updating.**_

 _ **Enjoy this chapter! I've started it off with a little bit of a time jump.**_

* * *

I wake up in my new bed with my relatively new wife sleeping beside me. I can hear the buzz of the morning LA traffic outside. I prop my head on my arm and watch Maya's breathing. I used to do this when we were together before. It's different this time, though. I know that she's not going to wake up and smile at me with a blush on her cheeks. She's going to think I'm a creep if she catches me doing this. But that's not the only thing that makes it different. Maya has been through a lot in such a short amount of time.

I sit up and grab my phone. I check to see if I've gotten any messages from Elizabeth or Luke. We haven't heard from them since Maya was attacked in Vegas two weeks ago. I've grown quite fond of the couple, so I hope they weren't dismissed from our case. I feel like Maya feels of them the same way I do.

I think a big reason is because they remind us of Riley and Farkle. Except for the fact that Riley and Farkle are near the same age, and Farkle isn't a giant tree like Luke is. When speaking of personality, however, Elizabeth is a lot like Riley, and Luke is a lot like Farkle. Elizabeth likes to see the good in everything and everybody, and she's kind and caring towards everyone she meets. Luke is quiet for the most part. He's incredibly smart. Not Farkle smart, but he's still smart. And he does things for the sake of making things better for his wife, his friends, and just everybody he has to work with.

This house is empty. We haven't had the chance to go furniture shopping yet because we've been so busy talking with the agents about our new lives in LA. They tested us to see how well we knew our new lives as well as each others new life. Of course Maya and I know everything about our new lives. We haven't talked that much on the road trip, so there was nothing to do besides acquaint ourselves with our new selves.

I throw my legs over the side of our bed, which we thankfully got the first day in LA, and stand up, walking across the hall to grab a towel and take a quick shower before we get a call about what we're gonna have to do today. I set the towel on the rack beside the door of the shower and turn the hot water on. I wouldn't be lying if I said that I am need of a hot shower. This whole situation has been stressful, and my muscles are weary.

I strip my sweatpants off before stepping into the relaxing shower. I groan at the feeling of the hot water taking the ache out of my shoulder and back muscles. I stand in there for a few minutes, relaxing as much as I can. I know the water is going to get cold soon, so I wash my hair and clean my body with soap before I turn the shower off.

I open the shower door and step out, but my brain is on high alert when I see that somebody is in the bathroom with me, which triggers my fight or flight response. I quickly grab the towel before I realize that it's Maya.

"What the hell, Maya? You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing in here?" I ask.

"I'm sorry! I woke up and saw that you were gone, and I got scared," She replies.

I look down and realize that I'm still exposed, and I quickly wrap my lower body with the towel I was holding.

"Oh, it's not like I've never seen it before," She teases. "Besides, we're married. Don't married couples take showers together?"

I could make a perverted joke right now, but I'm gonna save it for another day, so I just change the subject. "Why were you so scared? I put like eight locks on the front door."

"I didn't see you when I woke up, so I freaked out. I thought something happened to you so forgive me for a being a little jumpy. In my defense, though, I did just recover from a gunshot wound to the arm while fending myself from one of the possible hundreds of men trying to kill us," Maya explains herself.

"You're right. I'm sorry," I apologize to her. She nods and walks out of the bathroom and downstairs. I walk to our shared bedroom and grab a pair of boxers and some clean sweat pants.

"Do you want anything to eat? I'm starving," Maya asks.

"No thanks. I'm don't really have the appetite for anything right now," I tell her. She nods and walks into the kitchen to fix her something to eat. I sit down on the living room floor and look at my phone again. I texted Luke the other day to ask if they were still coming to LA, and he hasn't replied. I texted him three days ago, and I don't know what's going on.

Maya comes up behind me and looks at my screen. She sits down next to me with a little peanut butter sandwich in her hands.

"Still haven't heard from any of them?" She asks.

I sigh. "Nope. Is wrong for me to worry about them?"

"I don't think so. I'm worried too. I was really starting to like them," Maya says.

"Don't they remind you of Riley and Farkle a little bit?" I ask her. Her face lights up when I mention those two names. She smiles and nods.

"I thought I was the only person who thought so. They remind me so much of them," She says. Her face drops and she places her plate on the floor next to her. "I miss them, Lucas."

I nod and wrap my arm around her shoulders. I pull her closer to me and begin caressing her hair. I rub my hand up and down her back, and I can't dismiss the small sniffles coming from her. I know how it was for her when she and I broke up. I was just in the next room. I could hear her crying. But Riley and Farkle are the people that she trusts more than anyone. It used to be me too, but now I can see why she doesn't anymore.

"I really hate this," She sobs.

I hate seeing her like this. I know this is my fault, and she knows that it's my fault too. I can't help but feel guilty for taking her life away from her. She doesn't deserve to live this way, and I don't know what to do about it. I know she has to stay in hiding right now because she has killed four of these men. There is no doubt in my mind that someone is out there looking for her.

And I'm just a detective. I did my job, and now I'm apart of a mob war. I just wanted to put that woman in jail and keep the streets of New York a little bit safer, but now I'm fucked because this woman is so hungry for vengeance. I can feel so many emotions bubbling up in me right now, but I need to stay calm because Maya is an innocent party who has been dragged into my mess.

"I'm so sorry," I tell her in a whispered voice. "I know how much simpler things would've been if you weren't living with me back in New York. It's my fault that you were dragged into this, and I am willing to take all the blame. If you want to get mad at me, then get mad. You have every right."

Maya looks up at me. Her face is shiny with tears, and her eyes are sparkling with new tears. She gently lays her hand on my cheek. "It's not your fault. I didn't have to kill those three men that worked for that woman. I didn't have to do anything, but I did. I just didn't know that what we're going through right now would be the consequences of it."

"But if-"

"I don't want to hear it. You didn't make me pull that trigger. I did that on my own. I know that I complain a lot about hating this new life, but I am willing to take responsibility for what I did. I pray to God everyday that things are going to get better for us. And they will one day. We just need to get used to this," Maya says.

I smile at her. "Listen to you. You've just made me feel a whole lot better. I hope I helped you too."

"Lucas? Whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on. Whenever I felt that I wasn't important. Whenever I had a bad day. I always knew that I could come to you. You always make me feel better. And it's definitely not always with what you say but with how you comfort me. I know I've been bitter about having to start over with a whole new life and having to be your wife, but I'm gonna be honest," She pauses. "I'm happy that I'm with you instead of a complete stranger. I appreciate you and everything you do for me."

"Same here," I reply, staring at her.

She's staring at me too, and I can feel my heart begin to race. She starts to lean in, so I do the same. I look at her lips before I close my eyes. This is like our first kiss all over again. Because right as our lips just brush each others', there's a knock on the door. Maya sighs and pulls back. I watch her stand up and walk over to the front door. I sigh too. How didn't I know that was going to happen?

"Elizabeth! Luke!" Maya says. I turn around and look at the couple standing at our front door.

"Hey!" Elizabeth says as she greets the both of us with hugs. Maya closes the door behind them and locks four of the locks on the door.

"Where have you guys been?" Maya asks.

Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "It's complicated. After what happened to you in Vegas, I got a phone call the next day from the agents who are over your case. They wanted Luke and me to fly back to New York, and they tried telling me that I wasn't doing my job. And I agree. I should've stayed with you while you playing the slot machines. You got injured, and that's on me."

"Elizabeth, you didn't do anything wrong," Maya says.

"Well. The bureau didn't seem to think so. They took me off your case," Elizabeth finally admits.

"What? Why would they do that? You and Luke are the only few people I trust," Maya says.

"We would've been back sooner, but we wanted to see our son before our mother flies out here with him," Elizabeth says, grabbing Luke's hand. He raises her hand up and plants a small kiss to it.

"But. Whose gonna be taking your place? What's gonna happen to the two of you?" Maya asks.

"Luke has been ordered to watch after the both of you. And I told the agents that I had to stay with my husband. If something happens to him, there would be no way to reach me. And they finally told me that I could live in LA with Luke. They told me not to speak to you about the case whatsoever and not to get involved. They took my badge for the rest of the time that Luke and I would be spending time with you and Lucas," Elizabeth explains.

"Oh, Elizabeth. I really hate this for you. They shouldn't have taken you off the case. You and Luke and done nothing but help Lucas and me. You two are the only reasons why Lucas and I haven't completely lost our minds with this new life stuff," Maya says.

"Well. I'll still be here if you need me. But you're gonna have to need a cup of sugar," Elizabeth jokes. Maya and Elizabeth giggle before they take a tour of the house.

"Y'all have nothing in here. Y'all haven't had the chance to go furniture shopping yet?" Luke asks.

"No," I respond. "We got a bed and few dressers to put our clothes in, but we still need a lot of things for this place not to feel like an insane asylum."

Luke laughs and follows me back downstairs. Elizabeth and Luke stand at the front door with Maya. Elizabeth and Maya are talking about meeting up for fun sometime soon, and Luke and I just laugh at how talkative they are.

"I'm so happy to you guys. Bye!" Maya says, getting a goodbye from the both of them one more time before she shuts the front door.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I ask.

Maya smiles. "I think we should go get some furniture. A TV, couch, some tables, maybe a ping pong table?"

"You're not even good at ping pong," I tell her. "Remember?"

Maya grabs her wallet and waves it around in my face. "But I'm good at slots!"

* * *

 _ **Okay! So this chapter was just a little thing to help the story progress. I'm not really happy with the ending. I feel like I could've done it a little bit better? But I don't know. I might fix it. Because I'm not one hundred percent upset with it. I'm okay with it. I hope y'all are too.**_

 _ **I hope y'all enjoyed it! A not so surprise guest is coming in the next chapter!**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hey y'all! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I am still getting conditioned to going to school and having a butt ton of homework. I am not gonna stop writing though! I am too excited about my own story and where it's going to stop it now.**_

 _ **I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! A not so surprise guest enters this chapter!**_

* * *

I reach my hand out from underneath the covers towards the beeping alarm clock on my nightstand. I've been so used to waking up later than five in the morning, so it's hard for me to pull myself out of bed. Maya and I have to meet our new boss today, and we're gonna get information on a few cases that they want us to begin working on.

Maya is going to be a hassle to wake up. She always has been. When we moved in together, I would always have to annoy the hell out of her to get her to finally get frustrated enough with me to get out of the bed. She used to huff and pout and stomp to the bathroom. She wouldn't talk to me at all until she had some breakfast or some morning coffee or something.

I lay my hand on her shoulder and begin to gently shake her awake. "Maya. Maya, you need to wake up. We have a very busy day."

"No. We stay here all day," She groans, turning her body around to where she isn't facing me anymore. I continue to shake her and pat her arm and back until she finally sighed and sat up. "You can be really annoying sometimes."

"Well you can be really grumpy in the mornings, so I think one of us should work on something," I tell her. She snickers, which is something I've never heard her do in the mornings. She stands up and walks to the bathroom while I go downstairs to fix us some coffee.

Fixing coffee is something that is absent minded to me now. I used to be so cautious as to not get burned or not put too much grounds in the filter. Now, if my coffee is messed up, I usually don't notice due to my thirst for caffeine. Making coffee in the morning is a time for me to think about what I plan on doing today. I plan on doing a lot of things today. Meeting my new boss is first on the list, then I have to go over the cases that he or she assigns to Maya and me.

The doorbell ringing brings me out of my thoughts. I turn my coffee pot on and make my way to the door.

"Lucas Walker, you crazy son of bitch," The voice of my best friend and partner, Zay Babineaux, greets me at my front door.

"Hey! Wow! It feels like it's been forever!" I tell him, giving him a hug and pulling him inside with me.

"A few months. I can't believe it took you a few months to get from New York to LA. What the hell happened that caused you to arrive so slowly?" Zay asks, making himself comfortable at the dining table.

"It's such a long story. We were attacked in Indiana, so Agent Hobbs and Agent Hannigan told us to lay low for a few days. We stayed at the worst motel in the history of motels. It was so disgusting, so Maya and I stayed with a family that owned a bed and breakfast. They had a...unique daughter and a son and daughter-in-law that turned out wasn't really their son and daughter-in-law. Do you know about Luke and Elizabeth?" I ask him.

Zay nods. "Yes. I've known Luke and Elizabeth since they entered the FBI. I recommended them for your case."

"Wait. Really?" I ask. "How do you even know them?"

"Luke and I were really good friends in college. We were both studying criminal law and police force stuff, but Luke and I got accepted to different police academies. I guess his was way better because he was asked to join the FBI quickly after he graduated. And I met Elizabeth through Luke, and I liked them. That's why I recommended them," Zay explains.

"Well, thanks for telling me! We didn't know who they were. I got bit by a snake and Luke sucked the poison out of my hand. We thought they were stalking us until they told us their real purpose for following us," I fuss.

"You like them, though. I knew you would because they are good people," Zay says.

I nod. "I do like them. They are good people, but did you know that Elizabeth was taken off our case?"

"No! What happened?"

"We made a stop in Vegas," I say, earning a smug grin from Zay. "Maya went off by herself to play the slot machines, and Elizabeth didn't go with her. She came with Luke and me instead. Maya was attacked and shot in the arm while she was by herself. They said Elizabeth didn't do her job of helping to protect Maya, so they took her off the case."

Zay sighs and shakes his head. "Good luck working with them, Lucas. They're way more strict than the NYPD and LAPD. If they took Elizabeth off a case like this for a stupid reason like that? Then I don't know what kind of advice to give you."

I nod and pat his shoulders. "It'll be okay."

"I know," Zay says. "You and Maya are gonna be okay too. How has everything been going between the two of you? You know since you have to stay married to her. Have the two of you been civil?"

I sigh and begin to explain the situation. "Well she didn't talk to me for almost a week when we started our road trip out here. But, things got better. She talked to me more, and she trusted me more. And I think she's starting to accept that this is gonna be her life from now on."

"That sounds...like it really sucks," Zay says.

I chuckle. "For her. Especially after I was an asshole after we broke up. I can't imagine what she felt when she found out she had to be my wife. She tells me that this whole situation isn't my fault, but I can't shake the feeling that she's saying that to make me feel better about the arrangement."

"Of course she is!"

Maya's footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs. Zay stands up and turns around to meet Maya at the bottom of the staircase. He holds his arms open, and she makes her way over to wrap her arms around him.

"Hey girl. How are you doing?" Zay asks.

"I'm alright. I'm just too tired. How do you and Lucas wake up so early and not be bothered by it?" Maya responds.

"Well. Like you, we like to have something filled with caffeine. And we're just used to it. You should know because you moved in with Lucas when he and I worked the early morning shift. Crime doesn't sleep, you know?" Zay explains.

"Zay was just telling me about how he recommended Elizabeth and Luke to our case. Apparently, Zay and Luke went to the same college, so that's how they know each other," I tell Maya.

Something sparks in Maya's eyes when she hears this. "Can you get Elizabeth back on our case?"

Zay shrugs. "Sorry, Maya. I have connections with FBI, but when it comes to demotion off a case, then I really have to power to ask."

"It was worth asking," Maya says. "That really sucks because I like Elizabeth. It's not her fault that I got shot."

"How is your arm feeling? Lucas told me everything that happened," Zay asks.

"It hurt the first week or so after it happened, and I had to wear a sling on my arm, but it's better now," Maya responds by lifting the sleeve on her green t-shirt. Zay and I look at the scar on her bicep. I still can't believe that she endured that in the manner that she did. Maya Hart. Who, before now, has never been in a situation like that before. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She didn't even complain about her arm hurting even when I knew she wanted to. It amazes me, still, how strong she is.

"What about you Lucas? How did your wounds heal?" Zay asks.

"Just like Maya's. I did what the doctors told me to, so I have pretty awesome scars too," I respond, earning a giggle from Maya.

"I would love to sit here all day and talk, but I have to go get ready to meet the new boss. I'm so happy that your working with us, Zay. It's nice to have a little piece of our old lives here with us besides each other," Maya says. Zay smiles and nods as Maya walks back upstairs.

He turns around and smirks at me.

"What?" I ask him.

"You still love her. I can tell just by the way you talked about her and the way you looked at her just now. Have you told her yet?"

I can't deny it. I can't tell him that I don't love her because I am a terrible liar. Most people would think that because I'm detective that I could lie pretty well, but that's not the case with me. "I haven't told her anything about how I feel. She probably don't feel the same way about me."

"And that's why you got to tell her. You don't know how she feels. She could still love you. You'll never know unless you tell her," Zay says.

Just as I am about to respond, the doorbell rings again, and I quickly answer the door. Luke is on the other side along with the man who I will be calling my boss. He holds his hand out for me to shake.

I grab his hand as he introduces himself. "Mr. Walker? It's nice to meet you. My name is Agent Jones, and I will be working with you, Mrs. Walker, Mr. Babineaux, and Mr. Kessler."

"Nice to meet you too, Agent Jones," I say. I move out of the doorway to allow Luke and Agent Jones inside my house. "I thought we were supposed to meet you at your office today?"

"I know. I should've called, but I feel that we need to discuss your case as well as what you will be assigned to do once you come into work in a few weeks," Agent Jones explains.

"Okay," I say as I clap my hands together. "Please, make yourselves home. I'm going to go get my wife...and maybe put a shirt on."

I make my way upstairs to the bedroom. When I open the door I see Maya sitting on the bed. She is reading her book with the clothes she picked out laying in front of her. I close the door and make my way to the closet.

"You have to get dressed now. Our new boss is here," I tell her.

She looks up from her book and sits up. "Wait. Really? Why?"

"He said that he wanted to discuss matters in private," I respond, pulling a white button up onto my shoulders. I quickly find a pair of navy slacks and change into those. Maya starts stripping her bedtime clothes off, and she quickly changes into a pair of black pants and a blue tank top. She takes her hair down from her ponytail and begins combing through it with her fingers.

I tuck my shirt into my pants and tug some shoes onto my feet. Maya puts some shoes on her feet and follows me to meet our new boss downstairs.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," I tell him. "This is my wife, Maya Walker. Maya, this is our new boss."

"Agent Jones," He sticks his hand out to shake Maya's.

"Nice to meet you," She says.

"Can we get you all something to drink? We have coffee, water, tea, soda, anything," I suggest.

Maya and I end up going to the kitchen to pour five cups of coffee. She grabs five mugs down from the cabinet, and we take turns filling the mugs up and putting the milk or sugar or cream in it like some of them like their coffee.

I run my hand through my hair and sigh. Maya takes notice of my frustration and grabs my hand. I look down at her hand on top of mine before I make eye contact with her. And Maya says something that she has always said to me, including the day we broke up:

"We're gonna be okay."

* * *

 _ **Alright! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I am excited about this story! More action coming up in the next chapter!**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hi! I hope you all are have a fantastic day. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but I don't think I have ever been as busy as I have been in the last month or so. But I am taking a little bit of me time, and I wanted to write a new chapter for y'all! I hope y'all enjoy it! Thank y'all so much for continuing to read my stories despite my inconsistent updating. Y'all are the best!  
**_

 _ **(I barely remember what's going on but level with me). Enjoy!**_

* * *

"It's the first day on the job. Are you nervous?" I ask Maya as she pulls her hair back into a ponytail. She sighs heavily and looks at me with anxiety written all over her face. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not a cop, Lucas. What if I mess something up? Then our cover will be blown, and that means that our heads will be blown when Marianne's men find us. I don't want to screw up your life even more than I already have," Maya admits.

I'm blown away by Maya's confession. She has never taken responsibility for the relocation process. I didn't blame her for having to change everything about my life in the first place. I mean, she wasn't the undercover detective who stupidly blown his cover after the mob boss was captured and put in jail. She wasn't the reason those men came to our apartment. They didn't even want to kill her. They wanted to kill me.

I walk over to Maya and wrap my arms around her. She takes a deep breath and buries her face in my chest. "Don't say that, Maya. Don't even think about that. You didn't screw up my life. It wasn't you that caused this. It's all Marianne's fault."

Maya looks up at me. "I just don't see how Marianne knew that you and I aren't dead. How did her men know where to find us? How did they know that we were at that rest stop in Indiana or at that casino in Vegas?"

"I'm not sure, but I think Zay and Agent Jones are looking into it," I respond.

Maya pulls away from my embrace and checks herself in the mirror once again. "Isn't Zay supposed to be meeting us this morning? I thought this was his first day too?"

"He's already started working there, but he does want to meet with us this morning and discuss our first case. He says that it'll involve a man who the FBI believe is either a relative of Marianne Fox or works for her," I explain. Maya nods and turns the bathroom light off.

As if it were on cue, the doorbell rings. I rush downstairs to open the door to see Zay carrying a few folders. He walks inside and makes himself comfortable in the living room. He lays the case files on the table and props his black boot covered feet on the table beside the files. Maya walks downstairs and gives him that "if you want to continue walking, then I suggest you get your feet off my table" look, which Zay happily responds to by removing his feet and setting them on the floor.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Walker," Zay teases the both of us. I really hope Maya can't see the blush on my face at this moment.

"Very funny, Zay," Maya says and sits down, grabbing one of the files off the table.

"What's all this?" I ask.

Zay hands me the first folder in the case. I open the folder and see the picture of a young man. He is approximately thirty-four years of age, around the same age as Marianne, and he stands at six feet tall. His tanned face is covered with a beard, and there is a noticeable scar on his left cheek from a car accident he got into a few years back. His dark eyes are filled with exhaustion, but I doubt he'll look like this when Maya and I confront him.

"His name is Zachary Phillips. He is a licensed psychiatrist, but that doesn't stop the man from shipping in illegal contraband from other countries. He's not giving these drugs to his patients because we have checked the list of patients that he meets with. However, one of his patients isn't available to meet with because we just locked her up in New York," Zay explains.

"Marianne," I say.

"Right. So, we need the two of you to go undercover. Lucas, you will be acting as a grad student who is trying to earn his degree in psychiatry. Maya, you will be the next patient. You will act as a patient in need of some stronger medication. You have a few different personality disorders that he will have to keep track of, and he might not let you have some of his contraband, but you'll have to work some of your magic on him. Lucas you will be ready to charge the man if he suspects anything out of the norm, which he will. Dr. Phillips is a smart man, and because he worked for Marianne, he will be looking for the two of you," Zay continues.

"Okay. What exactly do you mean by 'you'll have to work some of your 'magic' on him'?" Maya asks.

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

"My first case as an agent for the FBI, and I have to fucking seduce some illegal drug smuggling maniac?"

"I'm sorry, Maya. It's what the FBI needs you to do. But, you will not be in any danger. Lucas will be in the room with you at all times. He will also be looking at the doctor's files on his next shipment, and he will be seeing if he is promising any other patients some illegal drugs. If he tries to do anything that you're uncomfortable with, then it's up to Lucas to stop him," Zay explains.

"Great. I can't even defend myself," I hear Maya mumble under her breath as she continues to look through the other files.

"What do we do to make sure he doesn't recognize us?" Maya asks.

Zay smirks. "Do you remember what you look like as a brunette?"

* * *

"It's nice to meet you...uhh..." Dr. Zachary Phillips struggles to think of my name. Maya and I have entered another facility where we are known by a different name.

I grab the man's hand and firmly shake it, giving him my fake name. "Devin. Devin Carswell."

I push the glasses sitting on the bridge of my nose up on my face and press the tiny button on the side of them, which activates a camera above the right lens. Now, everybody in the FBI office can watch what Maya and I are doing. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm a little bit nervous, but I know that I have to do this in order to keep myself, Maya, and Zay safe.

"So, what college are you getting your degree from?" Dr. Phillips asks me.

I think back to the paper which read all of my information including the school where I am getting a degree in psychiatry from.

"Standford."

"Wow. Great school. You must be a smart kid," Dr. Phillips assumes.

I nod. "I was valedictorian at my high school. I got offered a few scholarships for engineering and sports, but I took the academic one from Stanford. I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist, so thank you for letting me observe your surroundings."

Dr. Phillips smiles at me and pats my back. "It's not a problem kid, but I will tel you that I do have a few rules. There are a few patients that I give special treatments to. It's not anything huge, but I would appreciate it if you didn't write anything down about them or the treatments that I give them. You can still sit in there and observe though."

"Yes, sir," I respond, making a mental note.

A woman dressed as a nurse opens the door. "Dr. Phillips, your first patient is ready for you."

"Thank you, Stacy," Dr. Phillips says. He looks at me and smiles. "You ready?"

I nod and follow him out to the waiting room. He grabs the chart that reads the name Jackie Smith. Jackie Smith is the alias that Maya is using to begin our investigation. He calls her name, and I see Maya look up from her phone. She is wearing that brunette wig that Zay had given her and her eyes are covered by a large pair of sunglasses. Maya stands up and grabs her purse. She removes her sunglasses and places them on top of her head before following the two of us to a new room. She did a great job of disguising herself. I almost forgot that she is Maya.

"I need to get a copy of a list of your medications. This is a student at Stanford University. His name is Devin Carswell, and he is going to ask you a few questions for his own assignment, if that's okay with you. Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Smith. I'll be right back. Hang tight," Dr. Phillips says before closing the door behind him.

Once he leaves the room, I lean against a file cabinet behind his desk. Maya sits on the charcoal colored couch and crosses her legs together.

"You're doing well. Just keep it up. Do you have your story ready?" I ask her.

"Yes. I'm prepared. I've been practicing for this for a while, and I think I have a believable story," Maya says.

"Do you want to run it by me one more time?" I ask.

Before she gets the chance to answer, the scruffy man enters the room again, and Maya and I stay quiet until the doctor is ready for us to talk. I move out of his way so he can reach his filing cabinet. He opens the drawer, and I see him file the name of Jackie Smith underneath the label 's'. Zachary closes the filing cabinet quickly before I can catch a glimpse of anything else inside. He smiles at me before walking past me to his brown leather chair in front of the dark couch.

"Okay, Ms. Smith. What brings you to my office today?" Dr. Phillips asks.

Maya uncrosses her legs and leans forward towards Dr. Phillips. "I have bipolar disorder and anxiety and depression. I need to take medication for it, but my old psychiatrist stopped prescribing me medicine."

"Can you tell me why she stopped prescribing for you?"

Maya glances at me and then looks back at Dr. Phillips. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it in front of that man."

I silently hold in how proud I am, and I pay attention to what the doctor is going to say or do next.

"Okay, you don't have to explain right now. When were you diagnosed with those disorders?" Dr. Phillips asks.

"I was a senior in high school, so nine years ago? I think?" Maya responds, lying about her age.

"Wow," says the doctor.

"What?" Maya asks.

The doctor leans forward towards Maya and grabs her hand. "It's just hard to believe that someone as beautiful as you is almost thirty years old."

Maya fakes a giggle and gently takes her hand back from the creepy doctor. I know that she doesn't have any real feelings for this man, but I can't help but feel jealousy begin to boil in my stomach. I will hurt this doctor is he tries to do anything to Maya.

"You need your medication? I'll write you prescription," The doctor says.

Maya stands up and smiles. "Yay! Thank you so much, Dr. Phillips. You are a life saver. When should I come back in for you to evaluate me?"

"Why don't you come back next week and let me see how the medication is flowing through your system. Then we can talk about a few different treatments, if you're interested," Dr. Phillips explains with a smile on his face.

"Thanks again doctor," Maya says.

"It's not a problem. Anything for a gorgeous woman like you, Ms. Smith," Dr. Phillips smirks and winks before walking out of the room.

Maya shivers and wipes his presence off her arms. "Ugh. That is the creepiest man if I've ever met one."

"Tell me about. Now I have to sit here for next five hours and watch him do this with twenty other women. Sorry, Jackie Smith. Your time is up. Bye bye," I waves teasingly at Maya.

She smirks at me and waves goodbye before walking out of the doctor's office.

Oh what a long day this will be. And even longer weeks.

* * *

 _ **I hope y'all liked this chapter! I know that this may seem like I'm getting off the main topic at hand, but these people in the next few cases all have connections to Marianne, so stay tuned!**_

 _ **Love y'all!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**_Hey y'all! I am so so so so so so so so so so so so sooooooo sorry for not updating in a long time. I've been so busy with school. I never thought it'd be this much work, but it is a lot of work. I am on break right now, so I am planning on updating this story along with Hardships of the Heart during my break. I don't have to go back to school until January, so I'll try to update more during that time as well. For those of you who will read this chapter, thank you so much for continuing to read this and remain loyal. I just love all of y'all._**

 ** _Enjoy this chapter! I had to refresh my memory, but I got it!_**

* * *

I am currently sitting in a chair at my desk in my office. I grab a picture that I have standing in a picture frame and study its features. I remember this day very clearly because this picture was taken on my and Maya's first date. In the picture, I have my arms around her, and she is laughing that cute little laugh she has. We had just gotten off the ferris wheel, and it was starting to get dark, but all the lights from the rides still illuminated her face. We looked so happy then compared to now. Maya barely cracks a smile around me now, and I just miss what we had. I don't remember who took this picture. I don't even remember how I got this picture. I guess I don't remember because so much has happened between us from our first date to now.

"Hey, Lucas?"

I snap myself from my thoughts to see Luke standing in my doorway. I set the picture back down on the desk and give my attention to the tall man standing in the doorway.

"Yea? What's up?" I ask him.

"I got those files that we were looking for. It took Zay and I a while, but we finally found the information we needed on Zachary Phillips," Luke says. I get up and invite him into my office before closing the door behind him. He sits down in the chair across from mine and hands me the file.

There are a variety of things inside the file. Photographs, prescription medication, traffic tickets. Everything we need to know about him, but I still feel uneasy about the guy. There is information about him that isn't inside this file, and that is the information that Maya and I have to figure out.

"Are you and Maya meeting with Phillips today?" Luke asks.

I shake my head. "No. Unfortunately. He's not in his office today, and we can't risk stalking him. He'll figure us out. The FBI already thinks that he has his suspicions about me. Not so sure about Maya yet."

"Well, who do you have to follow him around?"

"Nobody. The bureau doesn't think we should risk stalking him and putting anybody else or ourselves in danger of being caught by him. I personally think we should follow him because I overheard him saying that he is supposed to have another shipment of whatever he's bringing into the country in today. I told the head of the bureau, but they still don't want to put anybody at risk," I respond.

Luke pinches the bridge of his nose before sitting back up and leaning his head on his hand and asks, "When is Maya's next appointment with him?"

"Tomorrow."

"Is she supposed to get a sample of the drugs he's smuggling in when she goes?"

"I damn sure hope so. That sample is what we need to get to Phillips," I say.

"Has he talked to you about what he does?" Luke asks.

I shake my head. "I was told not to acknowledge the weird phone calls or messages from his receptionist or anything. The bureau is adamant on me keeping my real identity a secret. They already think he's discovering that I'm undercover."

Luke furrows his eyebrow in confusion, which is the same I could say for myself. I am just as confused as he is. I just wonder where the FBI comes off at assuming that he's getting closer to figuring out that I'm undercover. I haven't done or said anything to hint at me being undercover, so it's not possible that he knows or is close to figuring it out. I know that Zachary Phillips is a smart man, but I think he's too lazy to figure things out on his own. That's why he became a psychiatrist. He has a book and list of medication to diagnose his patients and prescribe his patients.

"So. How are Elizabeth and Sebastian?" I change the topic to ease the tension of the topic beforehand.

I can tell that this helps because I see that Luke's shoulders are less tense, and he looks more relaxed in the chair. He smiles and says, "They're great. Elizabeth really wishes she could be here doing her job for you and Maya, but she's having a blast at home with our son. She tells me that he's learned to sit up on his own, and I can't begin to tell you how excited she got over that."

I smile back at him and say, "It must be nice. Going home to see your son everyday and your wife."

"I love it. I love working with Elizabeth, so I've missed seeing her at work. I have to remind myself sometimes that I get to see her when I go home, and I'm counting down the hours. I usually come home to see her and Sebastian in the living room, and they're playing little baby games. She's had so much fun being at home with Sebastian," Luke says.

"How long did you know Elizabeth before you two started going out?"

Luke looks up to think about it for a second. I chuckle when I see him counting out the numbers on his fingers before he responds, "Not long at all. I had just gotten out of a long relationship with a girl who I thought I was going to marry. That hurt me really bad. I didn't think I would ever find someone as sweet and special as that girl. And look what happened. My friend introduced me to Elizabeth after Elizabeth got involved with a nice community thing for my friend's organization, and we hit it off. I don't what happened, but it seemed like I couldn't stop talking to her. And that alone is out of character for me to do because I'm usually a quiet guy, you know that. Elizabeth is the talker. I'm just thank God everyday for sending me someone who is even sweeter and more special than my ex because I don't know where I'd be without her."

"How did Elizabeth react when you proposed to her? Because she is seven years younger than you. Before we died, Maya Hart wanted nothing marriage related to do with Lucas Friar, and we're almost the same age," I ask.

Luke chuckles, "Elizabeth and I were really in love when I asked her to marry me. I'm not saying that Maya wasn't in love with you because I can even tell that she loves you, but there's a moment when you realize that the person you want to spend the rest of your life is ready to make that commitment to you too. Did it feel like the right time for you to ask her?"

"When I asked her?" I asked. I had to think about it. I never really thought about what Maya wanted when I asked her to marry me. I was only thinking about myself. "I don't even think I talked to Maya about marriage in our future before I did ask her. I didn't even let her explain herself when she did tell me 'no'," I sigh, "I was horrible to her."

"I doubt that. Some people just aren't meant to be together at a certain point in time. I'm a person who believes in fate, and it was fate that she was involved in whatever happened back in New York that is allowing you to have a second chance with her. Take that chance and don't be afraid to start over," Luke advises.

I smile. "Thanks, man. How do you always know what to say? You're supposed to be my body guard, not my fairy godfather."

"Sometimes, that just happens."

I laugh. "Go home, Luke. I'll see you tomorrow."

Luke and I stand up to leave my office. Luke pats me on the shoulder before grabbing his coat and walking out. I grab the file on Zachary Phillips as well as my jacket before turning the light off in my office. I walk past a few doors on the hallway that my office is located before I stop at the one with "Maya Walker" printed outside the doorway.

I knock on the door, acknowledging my presence to Maya. I smile at her as she is putting away a few files in her filing cabinet. She grabs her maroon colored blazer and slips it over her shoulders before turning her light off and locking the door to her office.

"How was your day?" I ask her.

"Boring. I don't know how you and Zay got through days like this back home," Maya replies.

I chuckle and grab her hand, lacing our fingers together. She gives me a weird look as I do this, but she doesn't let go of my hand. We walk to outside to our car in the parking lot before I let go of her hand.

"You ready for tomorrow?" I ask.

"As ready as an inexperienced undercover cop will be," She replies.

* * *

I open eyes at the sound of my alarm clock going off beside me. I reach my hand out and tap the button to turn the alarm off and lay back down. I don't close my eyes; instead, I look over to the girl laying next to me. She looks so peaceful, but I know that she is nervous about having to go to work today. I can understand her anxiety about going undercover again because I was just as nervous as she is when I went undercover for the first time. It was weird to me to go up to these criminals and go by a different name and earn their trust before my department would let me know that it was time to bring them in.

I slide my legs off the side of the bed and sit up. I rub my eyes and walk to the bathroom to begin getting ready. I grab a towel and a body rag out of the cabinet in there and take me a very quick shower. When I'm done, I put on some black slacks and a dark red button up, which I tuck inside my pants. I walk back into the bedroom and kneel next to Maya's side of the bed.

"Maya. You gotta wake up. It's time to get ready for work," I tell her. She shuffles in her half-awake state of consciousness and turns around to where her back is facing me. "C'mon, Maya. You gotta get up. I know you're not excited about what you have to do today, but we have to do this."

"I don't want to meet up with that creep today. Can't I just call in sick?" She asks.

"As much as I really want to tell you 'yes', I can't let you do that. You have to go in and get that sample from Phillips. Without it, our case is pretty much falling apart," I tell her.

She turns back around to look at me with an annoyed look on her face. She sits up on the bed and starts to make her way out of the bedroom. I hear her mumble, "I didn't even want to be a damn cop, anyway," and I get that pang of guilt in my chest and throat again.

./././.

Maya and I walk into the office together where we are supposed to meet with Agent Jones to tell us what we are going to be doing with Phillips today. When Maya and I reach the opened office door with Jones's name on it, we are immediately invited in by him. We take a seat across from him and wait until he is ready to tell us what our jobs are.

"Mr. and Mrs. Walker. I hope you two are having a nice morning," Jones greets us.

Maya and I give each other a weird look. He has never greeted us like this. He has never been nice to us. It makes me wonder what is going on in his fucked up head.

He gestures towards Maya and asks, "You have an appointment with Zachary Phillips today, right?" Maya nods, and he looks at me.

"Today is going to be a little bit different than we originally planned. Lucas, I want you to take this phone and call Mr. Phillips and tell him that you are too sick to come in today," He orders me and hands me a cell phone.

I look over at Maya. Her facial expression hasn't changed, but I know that she is even more anxious about going into this man's office without any back up in there with her.

"Now!" Jones fusses. I nod and quickly make the phone call, trying to sound as sick as I could. Phillips doesn't talk for long, but he tells me not to worry about it. He has a few confidential things to take care of today. Immediately, sirens start going off in my head. I am genuinely worried for Maya's safety at this point.

"Excuse me, sir? Why are taking my only backup out of the building?" Maya asks.

Jones turns his attention towards Maya and answers, "You won't be alone. We are sending a few officers with you. We are getting this guy today, so we need Lucas to stay here and keep his real identity a secret. You, on the other hand, will get the sample from him and let the rest of the guys take care of business."

"How will the other guys know when she needs to get out of there?" I ask.

"Well, we got this necklace with a camera inside of it. We'll be monitoring the situation from the office and radioing the other officers when she gets the sample," Jones responds. Maya takes the necklace from Jones's hands and clamps it around her neck.

"Ready?" Jones asks.

Maya nods, which prompts Jones to stand up and begin to lead Maya to the other officers waiting on her at the front. I don't know what to tell her. I don't know how I can say anything to her because she doesn't have her phone on her now. I just really hope that she is safe.

./././.

I am sitting in an audio and video room with Jones and a few other agents, watching the footage that Maya is capturing from her necklace. She is sitting in the waiting room right now. We see a woman call her back into the doctor's office, and she follows the woman into an empty therapy room. Maya takes a seat in the big leather chair across the desk of Zachary Phillips.

"Dr. Phillips will be here in a few minutes," The nurse tells her.

"Okay. Thank you," She tells the nurse. The nurse closes the door as we wait for the suspect to come into view.

It's about four, maybe five, minutes later when Zachary enters the room. He smirks at Maya and reaches for her hand as he is making his way around the desk.

"Nice to see you again, Jackie. How have you been since the last time we met up? That was about a month or two ago, right?" Phillips asks.

"Yes. I'm gonna be honest with you doctor, my medicine is not helping my manic episodes. I spent nine hundred dollars in one store two weeks ago. I used my father's credit card, and he got so pissed at me when the bill came yesterday. I feel so out of control, and I can't seem to find anything to calm me down," Maya explains.

"Wow! Nine hundred dollars in one store?" Dr. Phillips asks.

"You're not a very good doctor are you? Aren't you supposed to listen to my problems without passing any judgements? You know what? I'll take my services elsewhere if you are going to be that way!" Maya fusses. We hear shuffling around, which means that Maya is grabbing her things and ready to storm out of the room.

Luckily for her, Dr. Phillips stands up and grabs her arm. He is right in front of the camera as he settles her down.

"I'm sorry. I sometimes get carried away with what I'm saying, and I know that a psychiatrist shouldn't do that, but I promise not to say anything that will offend you or make you angry in any way," Dr. Phillips apologizes.

Maya sits back down as Dr. Phillips walks behind the desk and sits down also. He smirks and writes something down on a piece of paper. I can only imagine how Maya feels at this point.

"Listen, Ms. Smith. I am not your typical psychiatrist, okay? I really do care about my patients well being, and I specialize in treatments for patients who have manic episodes, delusions, hallucinations, et cetera. I am willing to make you an offer on a medication that will definitely put you in a perfect state of calmness. The only thing about that medication is that you have to get it from me specifically. Pharmacies don't produce this kind of medication," Dr. Phillips says, which is everything we need to have him say. "I'll let you think about it for a minute. Would you like a drink?"

Maya must have nodded because we see him walk over to a counter top, which has a tray with two glasses and pitcher of what appears to be water, but considering who this guy associates himself with, it is probably some type of alcohol.

"Officer Townsend? Do you copy?" Agent Jones asks through the walkie talkie.

No answer.

"Officer Townsend? Do you copy?" Agent Jones asks again.

No answer.

"Figure out what the hell is going on with the officers' walkies and report back to me immediately. Walker is about to get the sample, and we can't have the officers miss their cues to make an arrest," Jones demands.

"Thank you, Dr. Phillips," Maya says as she sips on the drink given to her by the doctor.

"Please, call me Zach," He responds.

"I've thought about your offer, and I think that I am willing to try anything you give to me. I am tired of having my family and friends mad at me all the time. I just want to have as normal as a life as I can," Maya tells the man.

Still no answer from the other officers.

We see Zachary smile on camera. He turns around and walks behind Maya. Maya stands up and turns around to where she can capture this on camera. He opens a closet door on the other side of the room. We hear a bunch of beeping noises, which means that Phillips has his "medication" locked away in a safe. He pulls out bag of the powdery substance and locks his safe again. He then locks the closet door, and Maya walks over to meet him in the middle of the room.

She grabs the bag and asks, "You sure this will help me calm down?"

Zachary nods and smirks at her. He glances down at her, but he isn't looking at her face. He is staring past the necklace. Fucking creep.

"My my. You are a beautiful woman, Jackie. I bet your boyfriend has to beat up every man who looks at you the wrong way," He says.

"I bet you would be right," Maya sasses back at him.

Maya looks up at him, and he moves a strand of the dark brown hair behind her ear. "I bet he does."

We start to notice something weird happening with Maya's breathing. It's getting more shallow and heavy. She tries to ask him a question, but her voice is so slurred that we can't understand what she is asking.

"What did you give to me?" Maya asks.

At this point, my heart begins to beat faster. I am worried that she is actually in danger right now.

"Just a muscle relaxer. You seemed very tense when you came in," He responds.

Maya grabs her head and reaches for something to balance on, but the only thing there is him, and he doesn't hesitate to catch her in her weary state. He roughly grabs her arms and forces her to the ground.

"Ouch! You're hurting me, Dr. Phillips!" She fusses, and we see her try to push him away from her.

Zachary places his left hand over her mouth and says, "Why don't you just shut the fuck up? I am trying to make sure that you are mentally healthy, and you want to yell at me? That's not how a patient should treat her doctor, Jackie Smith. Or should I call you by your real name?" He asks.

"Dammit! Where are the officers!" Jones yells.

"What?" She asks.

I am frozen in fear for Maya right now. How in the hell does he know?

"Maya Walker. Born and raised in North Carolina. Boy, do I feel sorry for you. You're married to Lucas Walker, who I should've known was bad news because you two came into my office the same day. I have to say, I fell for your little disguises and aliases at first, but I knew that things were a little fishy after I left the room for that little bit during our first visit," He explains.

"What? What do you mean?" Maya slurs as she asks.

Zachary slaps her across the face,and I hear her squeal as he replies, "Don't try to act stupid! A good cop should always know that people like me always have an office camera."

"Shit!" Jones yells. "Where is Townsend and the rest of the men?"

"I think you're a beautiful woman, Maya. Very beautiful. You remind me of my fiancee, especially in that wig. Marianne is such a beautiful woman. I was going to go see her in New York until I saw that she got arrested. I can't remember the name of that officer who was undercover that got her put in jail...Logan? No... Lawrence? No... Oh yeah! I remember, now. Lucas," Zachary tells her. He laughs when he hears her sniffle to fight back tears.

"Your husband put my fiancee in prison. I guess I'll just have to get my revenge on you," He says.

He rips the necklace off of Maya's neck and holds the camera up to his face and says, "Are you watching, Lucas? It'll be fun from here on out."

He moves the camera to where it shows Maya passed on the floor.

I start walking out of the office, but I am stopped by Jones at the door. "Sorry, Walker. I'm not letting you out of this office. Phillips knows you are out there, and he probably knows that you are on your way to get Maya out of there. Trust our officers to get her out of there."

"I can't just stand here knowing what he's going to do to her! I have to get her! Move out of my way!" I yell.

I don't even care that I just yelled in my boss' face. Maya is in immediate danger, and there is no one there to get her out of the office. I try to pry my way through the door, but Jones has help. The two officers standing at the door grab one of my arms and bring them together, and they slap a pair of handcuffs over my wrists.

"I hate to do this, Lucas. I really do, but you need to calm down and let us do our jobs! You aren't helping your wife by acting like a fool and getting in the way!" Jones yells at me.

I literally can't do anything. Jones and the two other officers walk out of the room, leaving me alone in the audio and video room.

* * *

 _ **Alright! I hope y'all got excited about this chapter! All of your questions will be answered in the next chapter. We get some important news about Zachary Phillips and Maya. You will also see how this attack has affected her in the next few chapters.**_

 _ **Love y'all! I'm so sorry again about the very very late update. Please don't hate me!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hi guys! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews that you have given me! I am so thankful and appreciative so to express my gratitude? Here is the next chapter! I love you all so much, and I hope you all continue to love this story! I know it's kind of fast paced, but I am just trying to get things moving along here.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

I have been sitting in this dark room for what feels like hours. I am handcuffed, which have caused my wrists to go raw, and I am panicking because I can't go help Maya. I have no idea what Zachary Phillips has done to her, and I don't even want to begin to imagine. I just need to get out of here, but there is nothing I can do. Maya has done nothing to deserve this, and I wish I could get my hands on Phillips right now.

The door opens, and Zay walks into the room, turning the light on. He has a solemn look on his face, and my panicked state rises. He walks behind me and takes the handcuffs off my red and purple wrists. He sits down next to me and looks at me.

"Zay? What happened to Maya? Is she okay? I wish I could get my hands on Zachary Phillips right now!" I begin pushing questions on my best friend.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to take these off of you," Zay says holding up the pair of handcuffs that caused the bruises on my wrists.

He continues to stare at me. I don't know why he won't just tell me what happened. I have to ask him because if he don't tell me right now, then I'm gonna have to go find out for myself. And I know that Zay doesn't want that to happen. Maybe he's just waiting for me to calm down? I don't know.

"Will tell me what happened to my wife already? If you don't tell me then I will have to figure it out myself!" I yell.

"I would tell you, but I don't know everything that happened. All I can tell is that Maya is at the hospital right now getting her injuries checked out. But there is someone here who saw the whole thing go down, and he helped Maya get out of the office," Zay says. He stands up and walks over to the door, opening it, and calls the guy into the room.

"Luke! You helped Maya get out of Phillips' office?" I ask.

Luke sits down on the other side of the table, and Zay takes his seat next to me.

"I did. I walked by the audio and video room on my way to my office. I heard Phillips say something that was alarming to me, so I called Elizabeth, and I told her to go to the office because Maya needed help. Elizabeth got there to pry Phillips off Maya before he could do anything. Elizabeth tried to attack him, but he was stronger. He attacked her instead..." I see Luke's eyes fill with tears as he tells me what happens, "I ran into the building and back into Phillips' office. Maya was passed out on the floor, and Elizabeth was passed out on the floor."

"What did you do?" I ask him.

Through his sobbing he replies, "He tried to come after me with a gun, so I shot him. He's dead."

I stand up and walk over to him. He stands up, and I give him a hug.

"Did you go to the hospital with Elizabeth and Maya?" I ask.

He shook his head. "I couldn't. I feel too responsible for what happened to my wife. I can't see her like that."

"Luke, you need to be there for your wife. She will not blame you for what happened to her. She needs you, and Maya needs me right now. It'll be hard, but we're gonna go together," I tell him.

"All three of us," Zay chimes in. I smile at him before we all leave the audio and video room.

* * *

I knock on the door of the emergency room that Maya is staying in. Luke and Zay follow behind me when I open the door and walk inside. She is sitting in the bed, looking out the window. She turns her head when I walk in and weakly waves at me. I walk over to her bedside, and she keeps looking out the window. I notice the bruise on her cheek and the cut on her busted lip. Zachary is lucky that Luke got to him before I did, not that it would have ended differently for him anyway.

"Maya?" I say, catching her attention away from the view of the city, which is littered with cars and people going home from their work day.

"Is Elizabeth okay?" Maya asks Luke who is standing near the door, trying to make himself look invisible.

"I haven't seen her yet. She's not dead...if that's what you mean," Luke responds, folding his arms across his chest. The atmosphere inside the room right now is more depressing than usual. I haven't said anything to Maya, but I know that this whole situation has taken a toll on her emotions. She hasn't been sleeping well, and what happened to her today will not help that situation. If there is anything in the world that I can take back, then it would be the moment that I told my boss that I would work undercover to catch the evil Marianne Fox back in New York.

"You really need to go check on her, Luke. I may not have been fully conscious when she came to my aid, but I am not an idiot. I just have a feeling of what happened to her because that jackass tried it on me first," Maya choked back tears.

Luke nods and walks over to her bed. He gently grabbed her ankles and gave her a small smile before he says, "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. But don't blame Lucas for this unfortunate situation. They handcuffed him down at the police station just to keep him from leaving and killing Zachary."

Maya looks over at me, and I just look at her. I don't know what to tell her at this time. I barely know what to tell myself because I've never been in a situation like this before. I have been in danger before, but there is nothing like the feeling of knowing that someone you love is in danger and knowing that you can't do anything about it. It doesn't help me either that Maya was in a completely different and scary and more dangerous situation than I have ever been, so I don't know what advice or words of comfort I can give her.

"Maya? I wish I could find the right words to say to you right now. I have never been in a situation like this before, so I can't even begin to try to tell you how to feel better about the situation as a whole. All I can tell you right now as a colleague is that you did an amazing job today. You did your job, and you got the sample from Phillips. As your husband, I want to tell you that I am so relieved that you are alive. I don't know what I would do if I found out or heard that you got killed. I'm going to come back and sit here with you, but Zay and I promised Luke that we would also go with him to see Elizabeth," I tell her.

She nods. We begin to walk towards the door before I catch her say something that gives me a glimpse of hope that something about our relationship will change. She says, "That why I fell in love you, Lucas. You always help your friends when they need you. And you always help me when I need you."

I smile at her before following Luke and Zay out the door.

./././.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth looked worse than Maya. Zachary Phillips was relentless and brutal with Elizabeth. Her left eye is swelled shut, she has a busted lip, numerous bruises and scrapes on her cheeks, arms, and legs. I don't know what the FBI will do about these two because Elizabeth was took off our case, and Luke not only told her to go to Zachary Phillips' office, but he also killed the man. As an agent, it doesn't sound good for Luke and Elizabeth, but as a person, he had every right.

Luke slowly walks over to her bedside, and she is surprisingly smiling at him. It is kind of an unusual reaction for a woman who was just sexually assaulted, but I am not an expert on behavioral analysis.

"Hey," She greets him, grabbing his hand.

"Hey," He says and gives her hand a gentle squeeze before asking, "How are you feeling?"

She looks down at her small arms and looks back at him. She slowly sits up, wincing in pain a little bit and wraps her tiny arms around his bigger arm, hugging it and replying, "I am feeling a whole lot better now that you're here."

"You don't know how scared I was. I am so sorry that this happened to you. I am such an idiot," Luke tells her.

She squeezes tighter on his arms and gives his bicep a calming kiss.

"You are not an idiot. I went in there unprepared, but I protected Maya from getting seriously hurt. Don't feel bad for doing your job, Luke. I love you no matter what, and I will support you and your decisions for better or worse. That's what I promised to you," Elizabeth responds.

Luke sits down on the bed and engulfs her in his arms. He gives her a kiss on the forehead.

"Lucas? Is Maya okay? I hope she knows that I tried my hardest to protect her, so I just hope that I produced successful results for her," Elizabeth asks me.

I nod and respond, "She knows that you were doing your job, and she is happy to hear that you are okay as well."

"Go to her. Right now," Elizabeth commands. I smile and nod before immediately walking out of the room back to my wife's room.

* * *

I knock on the hardwood door before reaching for the metal handle and peek inside the bedroom of Maya's and my house. She is laying on her side of the bed with her back towards me. I creep in and make my way over to my side of the bed.

Ever since Maya was released from the hospital a few days ago, she has done nothing but lay in her bed. She hasn't been sleeping at night, and I try to stay awake with her, but I am pulling a double shift at work because Maya can't go. She has not been eating right, and I've been trying everything in my might to make her eat and make her sleep. When I do get her to go sleep, she doesn't sleep long because she's been having nightmares.

"You want to go somewhere with me today?" I ask her.

She opens her beautiful blue eyes to look at me right before closing them again. She shakes her head and pulls the covers over her shoulders and closer to her. I nod and stand up before saying, "I'm sorry."

I leave the room and walk downstairs to grab my phone, and I call Luke.

* * *

 ** _I know this is a short chapter, but I am going to continue to get things rolling soon. The next chapter will kind of start off where this one ends, so I hope that I am writing these characters correctly. If you are confused about Elizabeth's behavior about what happened to her, then I will go ahead and tell you that her behavior will be explained in the coming chapters._**

 ** _Love y'all! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Okay. I'm just going to go ahead an address the horrible news that we got about GMW. It sucks so bad that it has to end this way; however, I am a positive person, and I strongly believe that the show will get picked up by Netflix. BUT! We all need help. Try your best to contact Netflix in anyway about picking up Girl Meets World. When y'all get in contact with them, then y'all have to be nice and express how much you love Girl Meets World. I'm not writing all the details on how to get in contact with them, so y'all can go to tumblr for all the ideas.**_

 _ **TRIGGER WARNING:**_ _ **There are mentions of rape and depictions of sexual assault.**_

 _ **Enjoy this chapter!**_

* * *

"Hey, man. What's up? Is everything alright?" Luke greets me over the phone.

I feel hesitant about asking Luke what I want to ask him because of Elizabeth. She went through the same thing Maya did, and she is probably acting the same way now that she is home from the hospital. I am desperate to get Maya out of bed to eat and get some sun and shower and sleep.

"Would it be crazy for me to ask you and Elizabeth to meet up? Ever since she got home from the hospital, Maya will barely leave our bed. She will get up to use the bathroom, but other than that she stays in there, and she won't talk to me. She won't eat, she can't sleep, and she's too scared to shower, and I'm stuck," I explain the situation to Luke.

There is a long pause over the phone. I can hear shuffling and the sound of a door closing before Luke speaks, "It's been the same way with Elizabeth. I've had to ask our boss for a few days off because I can't leave her here with all the memories coming back to her. And she can barely look at our son without crying because she's afraid that he will grow up and get hurt. I'll try to convince Elizabeth to come over. I'm pretty sure I can talk her into leaving our room to come see y'all, but there is a short chance that it won't happen. If we're not there in the next twenty minutes then call me."

"Okay," I respond and hang the phone up.

I take a deep breath as I make my way to the couch in the living room. I lean my head back on the arm of the couch and recline my body to rest. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for Maya and Elizabeth to have to go through this. I close my eyes and rest for a minute. I haven't been able to sleep much the last few day because I've been too worried about Maya. I don't think it would hurt to take a little power nap.

././././.

 _I wake up. But when I do, I realize that I am not on the couch where I was when I fell asleep. I am laying on a couch in a tan colored room. Works of art hang lopsided on the wall, and I see two people sitting in front me with the backs of their heads turned towards me. As I begin to sit up on the dark, leather couch, the two figures in front of me begin to move._

 _"Are you ready Miss Hart?" The tall man with a gruff voice asks._

 _"No!" Maya begins screaming, "No! No! No! No! No! No!"_

 _"Get away from her!" I try to scream, but noise doesn't come from me. However, the man turns his head to look at me, but I can't see his face because it's too blurry. I stand up and being to charge at the man who is grabbing Maya from her seat and holding her by her neck, but it's almost like I am inside a bubble that is too strong for me to break._

 _"Lucas! Help me!" She yells, "No! No! NOOO!"_

 _I blink only one time, and the image I see in my head is so frightening. Maya is laying on the ground. Her eyes are closed. Her lips are purple as well as the hand prints around her neck. The man who done this vanished. The bubble that kept me from her vanished._

 _I rush over to her side and gently caress her cold cheek before I start crying, "This wasn't supposed to happen to you."_

 _"This wasn't supposed to happen to you! Come back to me, Maya! This is all my fault!"_

Next thing I know, I am being jerked awake by my shoulders. I open my eyes and see Luke beside me, and Elizabeth stands behind him with a concerned look on her face. I stop whatever I'm doing and quickly stand up. I turn my attention towards Luke and Elizabeth who are staring at me. Elizabeth is clinging onto Luke's arm, but she is the first one to greet me with a smile.

"Lucas? Do you need to talk about something?" She asks me.

I exhale my breath that I've been holding in and shake my head and say, "No. The one who needs to talk to someone is upstairs in our bedroom. That's why I called and asked if you two could come over here. I hope I wasn't being a bother. I'm just desperate."

"Say no more, Lucas. I'll go talk to Maya," Elizabeth says before sauntering upstairs. I sit back down on the couch and rest my head in my hands, which are being propped up on my knees.

"Listen, Lucas," Luke grabs my attention and continues to talk, "I know that you are trying your best to not bring up what happened in a conversation with Maya, but I honestly, in my opinion, think that is part of the problem. It won't be easy to get her to talk about it, especially considering how stubborn she can be, but you have to talk things out with her. Make her feel comfortable around you. Make her feel secure with you. Let her know that you will be there for her no matter what happens and promise to do little things to make her feel secure. Even if you have to add fifteen locks to each door in the house. Even if you have to look outside or in the closet or under the bed. If you have to go with her to every room in the house to let her know that she will be safe, then do it. Because sometimes, that's all you can do. I do think you did the right thing calling Elizabeth and me to meet up with y'all."

"I didn't know what else to do," I respond.

"Elizabeth and I talked about what happened to her. I know it may seem like she's okay, but she's just as bad as Maya right now, so I think this will help them both," Luke tells me.

It makes sense to me that Elizabeth is a good girl friend of Maya's whom she confide in because her best friend in the whole world was taken away from her all because of me. And we've both said that Elizabeth and Luke remind us a lot of Riley and Farkle. It really is a blessing that we have them on our side right now. Zay did a good job picking these two out to help us with out case.

"I'll try to talk to her about this later, but I don't know how to bring it up or how to talk to her about it. I've never dealt with a case like this. I would be able to talk to Elizabeth because she's the victim of aggravated assault, but I wouldn't be able to talk to her had she been sexually assaulted. I've been in law enforcement for almost six years, and I have, not once, dealt with a sexual assault case," I tell Luke.

"I haven't either," He tells me.

"How do you know what to do? You've given me the best advice that anybody could have given me, and I still don't even know how I'm going to bring everything up," I continue to ramble, and I know that I'm being very blunt with what I'm saying, but I just can't stop.

"I'm going to tell you something that nobody else knows about Elizabeth. Everything you heard about how Elizabeth and I met was a lie," Luke begins. I raise my eyebrows in surprise, and I wait for him to continue his story.

I take notice of how his whole demeanor just changes. At this point, I feel that Luke and Elizabeth are in the same situation that Maya and I are in right now. He clasps his hands together and rests his elbows on his knees. He starts to rapidly move his thumbs around one another, which lets me know that he is getting ready to be in a very vulnerable position.

He begins with a stutter, "I-I...I was still at the police academy when Elizabeth joined. One day, I had to sit in a class room while their teacher was on his way. I stayed there because I needed some time to kill, so I was a teacher's assistant. Elizabeth sat up front, and she was ready to learn everyday. She didn't have anything to do, so whenever we were in predicaments where we had to wait on somebody or something, she would look around or look out the window. And I would catch her looking at me sometimes, which I thought was pretty cool, but I didn't take an interest in her because she's seven years younger than me, and I was in a serious relationship at the time."

"Really?"

"Yea. I thought she was the one, but obviously not. Anyway, Elizabeth was kind of like the runt of the litter. She was just as small as she is now, but when she started at the police academy, she didn't have no muscle on her whatsoever. But she's very smart, and that made other people jealous, and that caused other people to ask for some tutoring from her," Luke continues, "Well, it wasn't long after the first few months of the new year that my girlfriend at the time and I split up, so I was too down in the dumps to hang out with anybody. You know what I mean?"

"Yea, I get it. I was the same way when Maya and I split up. I didn't want to get up and go to work, and I didn't want to hang out with my friends or anything," I answer him. And I'm being honest.

I know that it didn't take me long to "move on" with Tabitha, but I never got over Maya. I'm still not over her, and I'm never gonna get over her. I mean it's kinda hard to move on from the love of your life when you are forced to be married to her.

Now Luke tries to make himself even smaller by slouching his shoulders.

"There was one night that I stayed after school. I was studying for a huge test that I needed to get the next part of my degree. I was leaving the library and headed out to my car when I saw and heard something weird happening near my car. I dropped my stuff and ran over to see a boy. He looked about three years younger than me, and he had Elizabeth pinned underneath him," Luke pauses. He leans his head against his hands and takes a deep breath before he says, "You should've seen her man. Her shirt was ripped apart. Her pants had been torn away. She had bruises all over her legs and arms. Her eye was swollen shut, and she had a busted up lip. She had bruises all over her faces. She was crying so hard. It didn't help that it was in the middle of winter. I took my coat off and covered her up with it."

"What did you do to him?" I ask.

"I jerked his ass up by the throat. I threw a couple of punches to his face, and I told him that he was in big trouble. Not only with the academy and the cops who work there but with me too. He didn't say anything because he looked so shocked that he got caught, and he looked like he was ready to shit himself, but I knew that he was pissed off at me too. That boy who did it was a troublemaker, which is kind of ironic for the police academy, and he had a gigantic ego because his dad had a lot of money," Luke answers.

"What happened to him?"

"The sorry ass got away with it. The academy didn't want the news to get out about what really happened, and I'm pretty sure his dad paid the academy off. Elizabeth had a hard time getting through that," Luke says.

"What did she do to get through it?" I ask.

"Well," Luke begins, "She came to my apartment a lot. I took her there the night everything happened because she was adamant on not going to the hospital. I tried to get her to go, but because everything happened the way that it did, I let her do whatever was comfortable for her. I did call my mom though because she was a retired nurse. I told her everything, and my mom came that same night to tend to her wounds and give her something to make sure she wasn't pregnant."

"She wasn't hesitant around you or anything?"

"Surprisingly, no. I let her stay there for a few days, and I just tried to keep her mind off what happened to her. We talked about our interests and watched movies. She slept for most of the time, but we did those things when she couldn't sleep," Luke responds, "She slept in my bed, and I took the couch."

"Do you think she has completely gotten through it?"

"I like to think she did. She went to a rape survivors support group that the academy offered, and we just kept in touch after she left my apartment. It had to be meant to be because I was not ready to jump into a relationship, and she wasn't looking for a boyfriend. And we got to hang out a lot more because of it. I listened to her when she talked to me, and I didn't make any judgments based on her. It was a few months later that I finally asked her out on a date. And the rest is history. That's all you got to do wit Maya. Just reassure her that you love her and listen to her whenever she feels like talking. It will take some time, but as long as you are there for her, then it will help her a lot," Luke tells me.

"Thanks man. I hate that this almost had to happen to her again. I never thought i would have to deal with this, and when it almost happen to her, I just couldn't find the right words to say whenever we came home from the hospital," I explain and pat Luke on the shoulder and say, "Thank you."

We hear a few creaks from the staircase, and Luke and I stand up to face the stairs. Maya makes an appearance with Elizabeth clinging onto her arms.

"You ladies okay? How was the talk?" Luke asks.

Maya looks in my direction and doesn't say anything for a second. She just stares at me.

"Helpful."

* * *

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know that this is a dark chapter, but I will get to more action as soon as possible. Y'all just wait and see! Love y'all!**_


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